At Southern we have a strong, midwifery workforce that provide primary to tertiary midwifery services at a high standard.
Situated in the heart of Te Waipounamu, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora - Southern incorporates some of the most diverse terrain in the motu from snowy mountains to vast lakes and rushing rivers located South of the Waitaki River and encompassing Southland, Clutha, Dunedin, Central Otago, Waitaki and Queenstown Lakes districts.
Southern therefore serves the largest geographic region, caring for over 326,000 New Zealanders. From Southern’s smaller rural hospitals, to one of the largest trauma centers in the motu, Southern provides stand-out facilities with passionate, supportive, and highly professional, friendly teams that have strong community-connectivity that enables everyone across our district to live well, and access the right care when they need it, by delivering high quality, patient-centered and equitable health services to our diverse communities.
Why choose Southern?
At Southern we have a passionate midwifery workforce that provides primary to tertiary midwifery services at a high standard and offers many career opportunities honoring the New Zealand midwifery career pathway framework in all the areas it encompasses (clinical, education, leadership, management, quality and research).
Locations
Southern Midwifery support a very diverse maternity community spread across of the region, providing care to whanau in urban, rural and remote areas of Southern region. To achieve our maternity and broader population health goals we work in partnership with Iwi, primary care and community providers, rural trust hospitals and education and research partners across the district.
- Ōtepoti, Dunedin has a tertiary level hospital with a NICU that services Otago region.
- Waihōpi, Invercargill has a secondary level hospital with a SCBU that services Southland region.
- Primary Birthing Units are strategically placed across Southern to provide closer to home care for our rural communities. Otago has 4 midwifery led primary rural units: Ōamaru, Balclutha, Alexandra and Wānaka (opening in 2024). Southland- Lakes region has 3 midwifery led primary units: Queenstown, Gore and Winton.
Find out more about maternity services and locations
Southern delivery options for the pregnant population
On average 20 – 30% of the pregnant population births in one of our Primary Units, the exception being Gore and the surrounding regions where nearly 70% of the community opt for a primary unit delivery.
In addition, the Primary Birthing Units provide inpatient postnatal care for approximately 2 nights post birth to between 40 and 100% of their surrounding community. During their stay whānau can get one-on-one support in areas such as breastfeeding and parenting. Additionally, it is typical to see many parents deciding, or requiring, to birth in the secondary and tertiary centers, then returning to a Primary Unit for their postnatal care.
Midwifery at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora - Southern
We have well developed, region wide frameworks to ensure midwives commencing employment in any of the maternity centres receives a comprehensive induction. Whether you are a newly graduated midwife, an internationally trained midwife, a midwife re-entering the workforce, or a midwife making the decision to create a better work life balance by relocating to the scenic South, we want you. Join our midwifery whānau.