OUR MIDWIFERY WORKFORCE
AUTHORS
NGATEPAERU MARSTERS
AUT Pasifika Midwifery Liaison Team
TALEI JACKSON
AUT Pasifika Midwifery Liaison Team
Pasifika midwifery workforce development In 2014, Auckland University of Technology’s (AUT) Head of Midwifery School, Dr Judith McAra-Couper, presented a joint venture proposal to Counties Manukau Health aimed at developing the Pasifika midwifery workforce. The resulting initiative focuses on recruiting, retaining and supporting Pasifika midwifery students through the successful completion of their training and, in doing so, improving health outcomes for Pasifika mothers and babies. The partnership between CM Health’s Pacific health development team and AUT demonstrated a commitment to a shared vision, with the district health board initially funding a 0.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) Pasifika liaison position at AUT, which subsequently increased to 0.4 FTE. The funding arrangement ended in November 2020. AUT acknowledges CM Health’s generous partnership over the past 7 years, which has seen an improvement in all the strategic areas of Pasifika midwifery workforce development. The momentum has been gradual and undeniably forward, with significant recent improvements in enrolment numbers and retention. This has included the first male midwifery student of Maaori and Pasifika descent to enrol.
Highlights in 2020 The midwifery degree is now a 4-year course and the only midwifery training option on offer at AUT. In 2021 and 2022, there will be two graduating classes in March and December. Talei Jackson joined AUT’s Pasifika liaison team in February 2020. Her broad range of skills – clinical education, academic support and leadership – have been well used. Talei recently graduated with a master’s degree focused on what enabled Pasifika midwifery students to successfully complete their studies.
60 CM HEALTH
Pasifika Midwifery Fono, November 2020 L-R: Patiariki Mitchell, Whitney Amadia, Nga Marsters, Vaimoana Lauaki, Vaisiliva Manuofetoa, Tania Khan, Nasi Valu, Talei Jackson and Rose Leauga In early March 2020, we held a meet and greet for Pasifika students and their families, which was very successful and
well supported by Pasifika midwives.
In November 2020, Pasifika Midwifery Fono was attended by Pasifika midwifery students along with AUT’s Pasifika liaison team (see photo above).
Recruitment and retention The upward trend in recruitment and retention of Pasifika midwifery students is due to many factors. • We support applicants to be successful by reviewing enrolments and scrutinising declined applications. We make follow-up phone calls to applicants to discuss how to make their application successful in the following year and offer places to applicants where new information is provided. Although communitybased recruitment was almost non-existent in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some students made self-referrals or found out about the course through internal sources such as AUT’s student hub.
