The Rural Midwifery Recruitment and Retention Service offers grants to assist and support the establishment of LMC practices in rural and remote rural locations in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Have you considered setting up a practice in a rural location?

The Establishment Grant is designed to attract and encourage two or more midwives to establish an LMC midwifery practice in a rural locality experiencing a shortage of LMC midwives. The purpose of this grant is to encourage midwives to develop sustainable and viable LMC rural midwifery practices.

Would you like to move to a rural location and join a local LMC practice?

The Placement Grant is designed to attract and encourage LMC midwives to relocate for a minimum of three years to a rural locality that is experiencing a shortage of LMC midwives. The purpose of this grant is to recruit and relocate experienced LMC midwives into a specific rural locality to establish and maintain a viable service.

Establishment Grants

The Establishment Grant is designed to attract and encourage two or more midwives to establish an LMC midwifery practice in a rural locality experiencing a shortage of LMC midwives.

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The purpose of this grant is to encourage midwives to develop rural midwifery practices that are sustainable long term, financially viable and ensure adequate support and time off. This may involve the midwives physically moving to a rural locality or establishing a practice in a rural area in which they are already practicing on an individual basis or in a Core role.

You may be eligible for a Practice Establishment Grant if you and a colleague:

  • Intend to establish a practice to provide LMC services to women in a locality in which there is a quantified shortage of LMC midwives.
  • Intend to remain practising as LMCs in the locality for at least 3 years.
  • Have a formal practice agreement in place.
  • Can demonstrate that a viable caseload is available in the locality.
  • Plan to maintain a 24/7 primary maternity service that aims to birth most women locally.
  • Plan to build up to a caseload of at least 20 women each over a 12 month period.
  • Are willing to work collegially with each other in a midwifery practice arrangement that is sustainable and financially viable.
  • Are willing to build relationships and networks with any other local midwives and maternity service providers in the area.

Apply for the Practice Establishment Grant

Applications must include a comprehensive Practice Establishment business plan. Download a template

Applications can be emailed to [email protected]

Placement Grants

The Placement Grant is intended for an experienced individual midwife who is either re-locating to a rural locality to a) join an existing midwifery practice b) join another LMC midwife who is already practicing in the area, or c) relocating to practice on their own.

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You may be eligible for a Placement Grant if you:

  • Intend to practice in a locality in which there is a quantified shortage of LMC midwives and are moving to the locality from another area.
  • Intend to provide LMC services to local women within the locality, and to birth most women locally.
  • Intends to remain practising as an LMC in the locality for at least 3 years.
  • Can demonstrate that a viable caseload is available in the locality.
  • Plan to build up to a caseload of at least 20 women over a 12 month period.
  • Are willing to join an existing practice and/or work collegially with other midwives in the locality to provide and receive back up, in order to ensure a sustainable 24/7 primary maternity service is provided.
  • Are willing to build relationships and networks with any other local midwives and maternity service providers in the area.

Apply for a Placement Grant

Applications can be emailed to [email protected]

Application information

There are a limited number of grants available per year. Applications are assessed within the quarter they are received and approved or declined at the end of that quarter. Applications are assessed on their suitability and then prioritised in relation to regional LMC shortages and remoteness of the locality. Declined applications may be reassessed in the following quarter depending on the number of new applications and their priority based on the above criteria.

Note: Applications will be assessed by the RMRRS Advisory Group. This process may include RMRRS Advisory Group verifying the information provided by the applicants with individuals who in the locality of the proposed practice (e.g. DHB staff, midwives and service providers).