Te Whatu Ora welcomes Midwifery pay equity settlement

Te Whatu Ora welcomes the overwhelming vote by its midwives and maternity care assistants to approve the pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO).

“Midwives are at the heart of care for those having babies and their whānau, and I’m delighted with this outcome. It recognises the vital work our valued midwives do every day,” said Margie Apa, Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive.

“Addressing pay inequity for our workforce has been a key priority for Te Whatu Ora, and significant progress has been made in the past year to address historical pay inequities across our health professions. It’s important we don’t have sex-based inequity between our health workforces and other workforces in Aotearoa.”

The approved settlement will mean a significant pay rise, backdated to April 2022, for the Te Whatu Ora midwifery workforce. The salary for a graduate midwife will increase to $76,235, while the top rate for a Core Midwife will be $100,862, and for Senior Midwives the rates will range from $106,810 to $153,060.

The settlement also includes a further lump sum payment of up to $15,000.

“I want to acknowledge everyone involved for reaching this settlement and to thank our midwifery workforce for the difference you make and for approving this settlement.”