OUR CONNECTIONS WILL REMAIN

from the president, new zealand college of midwives, nicole pihema

nau mai haere mai ki Aotearoa New Zealand Midwife

As another year draws to a close, I wish I could say it's turned out to be better than what we could have hoped for. But I think we can all agree, this year was even more tumultuous than last, and we are yet to see how the health sector will fare as Covid-19, health system reforms and vaccine mandates dominate the landscape.

Given the topic is ever-present in discussions with whānau, we address some FAQs about Covid-19 vaccination in pregnancy and the postnatal period on p.20, with some helpful suggestions for how to answer the curlier questions.

For some light relief, Ila Northe shares her reflections on 51 years of working in maternity on p.22, and Breastfeeding Connection resumes its focus on supplementary feeding on p.28, honing in on challenges that persist beyond discharge from a postnatal facility.

The intersecting stories of Chinese LMC midwife Zeta Zhang and midwifery student Einnoc Chiu are shared on p.34, reiterating once again the significance of cultural safety within the midwifery partnership.

We hope all midwives are able to take a break at some point over the holiday season, to reconnect with whānau and friends, and rejuvenate before 2022 gets underway. As always, we acknowledge the incredible work and dedication of midwives all over the country, who have continued to provide the highest quality of care for wāhine, pēpi and whānau, despite living in a constant state of uncertainty.

Mā te wā,

Amellia Kapa, Editor/Communications Advisor

Email: communications@nzcom.org.nz square

Ki te kāhore he whakakitenga ka ngaro te iwi

(Without foresight or vision the people will be lost)

- Nā Kingi Tāwhiao Pōtatau Te Wherowhero

I’m honoured to have been re-elected as President and appreciative of the opportunity to continue this mahi for another term. As both a college and a profession, we still have a lot more work to do in terms of building our capacity for emerging leaders. We’re all so busy with the dayto-day work of being midwives, but succession planning needs to be a priority moving forward, and a significant amount of our time and energy must be channeled into preparing for our future. Every single action we take now, in our various positions of leadership - be they within our whānau, communities, workplaces or professional bodies - impacts the future trajectory of midwifery in Aotearoa. My focus for this next term is the same as it always has been; to continue to fortify our profession by increasing capability and capacity within, carving out a path for our future midwifery leaders to use as a guide.

The next two years will be quite significant regarding health reform, but given the roll-out of these changes will be occurring over the next 12 months, it remains to be seen how much of an impact these will have over the remainder of my term, and indeed how much we, as a profession, will also have an influence on the proposed changes.

Other changes closer to home deserve acknowledgment at this time, and I’d like to thank Jean Te Huia for the many years of service she dedicated tirelessly to the profession in her position as CEO of Ngā Māia. Her courage in highlighting systemic injustices has affected real change for whānau who were previously invisible, and we can only hope that systemic review will continue and any resultant changes will be permanent. We look forward to continuing to work with Ngā Māia and their new board in a way that honours te Tiriti, to make midwifery stronger and more unified than ever before.

Historically, unity has always been midwifery’s strength, and it does not serve any of us - as individuals, or as a profession - to be divided. The implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination mandate for midwives has struck a chord for many and the polarisation we are seeing within our workforce is saddening and unnecessary.

It’s more important than ever before to look after each other and keep each other safe. Though personal views on the vaccination mandate may vary between midwives, there is no place for unkind or intolerant behaviour toward one another. Those of our valued colleagues who are choosing not to be vaccinated at this time are deserving of support, and the knowledge that the door is - and always will be - open, should they decide to return to practice. Our equally valued colleagues who are choosing to be vaccinated at this time also deserve patience and understanding; the reality of workforce shortages is already upon them, as they prepare for the imminent increase in community transmission and the unavoidable reality of caring for pregnant wāhine who contract Covid-19.

Thus far in Aotearoa we have managed to avoid the horrors other countries around the world have faced. We haven’t experienced anything even remotely close to the mortality and morbidity rates seen overseas, and for many, I fear seeing is believing. For those of us facing challenges with colleagues, friends or whānau who may be feeling hesitant about receiving the vaccine, I implore you all to approach discussions with patience, kindness and compassion. One day, hopefully in the nottoo-distant future, when Covid-19 is no longer the dominant discourse, our connections with one another will remain, and the quality of those future connections will depend entirely on how we conduct ourselves today. square