Midwives joined their nursing colleagues in a 24-hour strike on Wednesday. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel
Midwives are to get a 3.5 percent pay rise and a lump sum of $235 after settling their collective agreement with Health New Zealand.
The Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Services (MERAS) represents 95 percent of hospital midwives. Its decision to settle comes after other midwives belonging to the Nurses Organisation joined a nationwide, 24-hour strike on Wednesday over what their union calls unsafe staffing levels.
It comes after thousands of midwives joined their nurse colleagues in a nationwide, 24-hour strike on Wednesday.
Health NZ said the offer was over 29 months and would put a graduate midwife's base salary up almost $3000 to more than $85,000.
A senior midwife's salary will increase almost $4000 to a little under $112,000 per year.
In a statement, Health NZ said the "valued and important work" of midwives was reflected in the sizeable pay increases they had seen in recent years.
Health NZ said it employed 1728 midwives and the workforce had grown by 111 full time equivalent positions in the 12 months to March 2025.
The decision to settle the agreement was made by Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Services.
Co-leader of MERAS David Munro told Morning Report they had made a lot of progress, but no body was "popping a champagne cork over the pay increase".
MERAS is one of the unions representing midwives.
"It's difficult times in Health NZ, difficult political environment, so much fiscal pressure, but we made a lot of progress on other issues dare to us.
"We've got guarantees that first year graduate midwives can't be left in charge of maternity services, we've got a new allowance for co-ordinating midwives - a number of areas and a whole lot of work to do in the future."
Munro said in that context 3.5 percent was reasonable enough.
Health NZ's industrial relations lead, Robyn Shearer, said the settlement would create a solid foundation for building up the workforce.
"It's great news. We value our midwifery workforce and we're really delighted to reach [an] agreement with them."
Health NZ has offered a 3 percent increase to NZNO members over 27 months, while the 3.5 percent settlement with MERAS is for 29 months.
Shearer said it was not possible to compare offers to different workforces.
"All of our workforces have agreements that are unique to them, including allowances, conditions and pay scales which have been negotiated over years, if not decades.
"And of course, our workforce may choose one union agreement over another."
Recruitment remained "a challenge" for midwifery, she conceded.
Health NZ said request for comment came too late to appear on RNZ's Morning Report, but offered to be interviewed on Midday Report.
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