Rural Professional Peer Mentoring Programme
The MMPO holds a contract with Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora to provide funded professional peer mentoring support for rural and remote LMC midwives.
Rural midwifery brings unique rewards and challenges. Many midwives work across large geographical areas or in small close-knit communities where professional isolation can occur. This professional peer mentoring programme is designed for both experienced and new rural midwives. It supports connection to the wider midwifery workforce and offers objective and confidential collegial support to reflect on their practice as a rural midwife, to share ideas and navigate challenges.
About the Programme
The rural professional mentoring programme provides up to 40 hours of funded mentoring over 12-months by an approved rural mentor midwife registered on the NZ College of Midwives Find Your Mentor database. Midwives are encouraged to find their own mentor, or we can help midwives find a suitable match.
The mentoring relationship includes:
- Initial face-to-face meeting to negotiate development needs and agree on goals and expectations
- Minimum of 10 hours of mentoring per quarter
- Keeping a record of meeting and dates for audit purposes
- Quarterly payments made to the mentors for completed sessions
- Quarterly travel and communication subsidy made to mentees
Sign-up for Mentoring
Sign-up for Rural Professional Peer Mentoring here.
You are likely to be eligible if you:
- Are a self-employed LMC midwife practicing in a rural area
- Are not currently in the Midwifery First Year of Practice Programme
Become a Mentor
Sign-up to Become a Rural Mentor here.
You are likely to be eligible if you:
- Are an approved mentor on the NZ College of Midwives Find Your Mentor database
- Have completed the Practicalities or Mentoring and Te Tiriti of Waitangi e-learning modules via the NZ College of Midwives
- Hold a current APC with no conditions
- Have no outstanding complaints or cases with ACC, HDC, Midwifery Council or other bodies
- Have rural midwifery experience
Once approved, your name will be added to a register of rural mentors, which may be shared with rural LMC midwives seeking support.
Rural Relocation and Practice Establishment Grants
The MMPO holds a contract with Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora to support the recruitment and retention of self-employed LMC midwifery practice in rural and remotes areas. As part of this initiative, two grants currently available to assist with establishing rural midwifery practice in areas experiencing LMC shortages are:
- The Rural Practice Establishment Grant supports two or more midwives to establish a new midwifery group practice in a rural locality experiencing a shortage of LMC midwives.
- The Rural Relocation Grant supports an individual midwife to relocate to a rural locality of LMC shortage to a) establish a sole practice, or b) join an existing midwifery group practice.
Applications are reviewed quarterly by a Rural Grants Advisory Panel. Where an applicant does not currently meet the requirement for a grant, their application will be deferred for review in the following quarter.
For application forms and a full list of criteria, please contact:
P: 0800 MIDWIFE