Tena koutou katoa.
We are currently in the process of voting in a new Regional Chairperson for Wellington. The Chair is supported by a small team of core committee members who are voted in by the regional membership each year at the Annual General Meeting.
The Wairarapa sub regional chair is Caroline MacArthur and wherever possible The Chair and other core committee members support her when they can.
As a region that spans three DHBs currently (Capital and Coast, including our Primary units at Kenepuru and Paraparaumu, Hutt and Wairarapa), we have a diverse range of midwives practising in homebirth, primary, secondary and tertiary facilities. The multiple perspectives these midwives contribute make our monthly meetings lively and informative.
Meetings for the Wellington region are held on the second Tuesday of the month, 7pm-9pm at either Hutt Irish Society or Zoom, and are usually very well attended with up to 40 midwives coming along regularly. Meetings often include guest speakers, followed by general discussions about local reasons to celebrate or issues to resolve.
Student midwives are welcome to attend, and say they enjoy the opportunity to meet local midwives, participate in policy discussions eg ratification of consensus statements etc., and we have a strategy in place to support our local students which includes financial support for membership and a buddy system to give some extra awh!
Our consumer members continue to add their vital voice to our proceedings and help us to keep our partnerships alive within our communities.
So come along if you are new to the area, or just passing through. We look forward to meeting you.