News & Events

Kiwi Midwife writes and records song with her band

12th May, 2021

Midwife Pam Colbert has put her skills out for all to see on You Tube. No, not the skill as a midwife but her other skill as a song writer and musician with her band…

Midwives’ Union Challenging DHBs Excluding GPs As “Comparator” In Pay Equity Claim

9th March, 2021

MERAS has filed in the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) over the DHBs’ decision to unilaterally exclude general practitioners as a potential comparator in the process to resolve the union’s pay equity claim. MERAS Co-leader (Industrial)…

MERAS Co-Leader Jill Ovens on The Project

18th February, 2021

MERAS Co-Leader Jill Ovens spoke to The Project on 17 February about the need to improve the critical shortage of midwives in New Zealand. https://meras.midwife.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/02/Jill-Ovens-The-Project-21-Feb-2021.mp4  

Government and unions commit to working together for health workforce

7th December, 2020

MERAS is now a signatory to the highest level engagement between CTU unions, the Ministry of Health, Minister of Health, and DHBs CEs, GMsHR and Chairs. The Minister of Health Hon Andrew Little and senior…

MERAS celebrates election of midwife and union activist to Parliament

19th October, 2020

Sarah Pallett, newly elected MP in the Christchurch seat of Ilam, is the only current midwife in Parliament and brings the total number of union MPs in the Labour Caucus to 15. Sarah is a…

MERAS Members Quiz Politicians

9th October, 2020

MERAS organiser Karen Gray (left) and ARA Midwifery lecturer Sarah Pallett (right) enjoyed a night of politics hosted by Canterbury Unions on Wednesday, 7 October. The event gave workers the opportunity to ask questions of…

Critical shortage of midwives in Palmerston North needs urgent action

5th September, 2020

Palmerston North Hospital’s delivery suite is struggling to put enough midwives on duty to look after women giving birth. As reported by Stuff on 5 September, the hospital is using extra nurses and health care assistants…

Midwives’ Union Calls For Labour To Fully Fund Midwifery Students

28th August, 2020

DHBs are looking to the United Kingdom to recruit midwives in the face of a severe shortage of midwives which is exacerbated by falling numbers of students studying midwifery. Jill Ovens, co-leader of MERAS, the midwifery…

30 Years Since Midwives Gained The Right To Practice Autonomously

24th August, 2020

“It was like we had little control over our own bodies.” That’s how one Auckland woman describes her experience of childbirth in the 1970s and 80’s That all changed 30 years ago (22 August 1990),…