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MERAS members — continued professional development (CPD funding)

Each district shall commit each financial year (1 July to 30 June) a sum of $1,000 per MERAS midwife (headcount), which is accessible by MERAS members who are midwives only, to enable midwives to meet approved professional development requirements. Unused funds will remain available for use for up to a further 12 months following the end of the financial year.

Applications may include:

  • external provider workshops or courses
  • conference registration, inclusive of travel and accommodation
  • costs related to textbooks
  • tertiary education courses, papers and programmes. Applications for postgraduate funding should, in the first instance,e be made to Health Workforce New Zealand for funding administered by New Zealand College of Midwives.

Claims for MERAS CPD funding are a 2-step process. Read the document below to be sure your approval and reimbursement are processed as quickly as possible.

CPD Fund for MERAS Midwives (Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley) [PDF, 1.1 MB]

Midwifery NZNO members (Wellington and Kapiti only)

Additional professional development funding

The following application criteria must be met to receive additional professional development funding, and are based on your QLP domain:

  • maintenance or progression on QLP at an appropriate level
  • a current role description that requires registration as a midwife
  • current performance review (less than 12 months old at time of application)
  • annual professional development and career plan
  • completed pre-approval form approved by line manager, director of midwifery and nurse director workforce development. 

For international travel, approval by the chief nursing officer (CNO) is required.

All funding is at the discretion of the chief nursing officer (CNO).

Funding entitlement for professional development

Entitlement is allocated annually from the date the level on the QLP is attained. Confident or Leadership entitlement amounts can be accrued for a maximum of two years from the date of attainment of this level. Competent level entitlements do not accrue.

QLP level Annual entitlement from date of progression by FTE
  Less than 0.6 FTE 0.6 FTE to full-time
Leadership $250 $500
Confident $150 $300
Competent $50 $100

Funds entitlements — what you can and cannot claim

What you can claim What you cannot claim

PD activities:

  • short courses
  • seminars, symposiums, conferences
  • tertiary study fees (additional to Health Workforce New Zealand funded fees)
  • level 7 specialty specific courses
  • professional and clinical supervision
  • research and exploration of innovative practice and visiting other areas of best practice

PD activities:

  • costs related to attending professional development activities, such as food and beverages

Accommodation:

  • a subsidy is available towards actual trainee costs incurred
  • accommodation is limited to $200 per night

Accommodation:

  • accommodation claims exceeding subsidy level
  • accommodation within the Wellington region

Travel:

  • flights and rail booked through preferred provider and based on Smart Saver rates¹.
  • public service mileage rates will be claimed when travel incurred by use of motor vehicle is necessary. It is expected that transport will be shared if more than 1 person attends the same event. Indicate on pre-approval application form if there are others applying for the same event.

Travel:

  • car-parking fees
  • insurance costs — staff travelling for work purposes are covered under corporate insurance (contact finance). Travel insurance is not claimable.
  • taxis or shuttles between home and airport or within Wellington region.

Professional development resources:

  • clinical equipment when ownership supports advanced practice and role, such as stethoscopes, examination torch, journal subscription, sphygmomanometer
  • books and learning resources for practice and role development

Professional development resources:

  • technological devices or clinical equipment that are organisational requirements, such as laptop and applications
  • magazines, professional organisation membership subscriptions

Service costs:

Service costs:

  • internal mandatory core competencies and organisational requirements
  • mandatory service specific training and education
  • service development initiatives

¹Air travel should be booked through the CC travel request form received upon approval.

Your responsibility

NZNO midwives who receive these funds agree to the following: 

  • to keep the Workforce and Practice Development Unit (WPDU) informed of any change in circumstance, such as:
    • course unavailable
    • enrolment declined
    • employment change
    • moving cities
    • withdrawal
    • parental leave
  • if the applicant leaves within 4 weeks of completing the education, the cost may be requested to be reimbursed
  • minimise all costs
  • professional development pre-approval applications are to be made at least 6 weeks before the close of early bird rates, or departure and event start dates, to ensure bookings at the best travel and accommodation rates and registration at the early bird rate — in all cases, only the early bird rate will be reimbursed
  • conference attendance will require a report and presentation back to your service or organisation within 1 month of returning
  • each individual is responsible for claiming their costs to make sure expenses are accurately recorded against their entitlement — we recommend you do not pay for a colleague, as their costs will be deducted from your entitlement
  • approved applications must be finalised with FlexiPurchase within 3 months of the expense being incurred, after which time the claim lapses (this aligns with staff reimbursement procedure)
  • if you are presenting at a conference, it is expected that you first present locally, regionally, or nationally before international presentations.

NZNO midwives seeking scholarship funds (Wellington and Kapiti only)

HSS nurses and midwives

Scholarship funds were initiated in the nurses and midwives collective employment agreement before 1996.

The agreement states that Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and NZNO agree that ongoing education is valuable to both the employer and the HSS staff employed by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora.

The employer has set aside a fund of $200,000 in each financial year. This fund is unique to Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora in Wellington and Kapiti. Funding provided is pro-rata based on midwives (and nurses) FTE and cannot exceed $3,000 per annum.

All scholarship applications will be considered and prioritised within available funds and at the discretion of the chief nursing officer.

FTE and pro-rated funding

Full time equivalent (FTE) Amount
0.6 to 1.0 FTE $3,000
0.2 to 0.5 $1,500
Less than 0.2 $0

Scholarship funds access criteria — what you can and cannot claim

What you can claim What you cannot claim

PD activities:

  • short courses
  • seminars, symposiums, conferences
  • specialty-specific courses below level 8
  • research and exploration of innovative practice and visiting other areas of best practice

PD activities:

  • costs related to attending PD activities, such as food and beverages

Accommodation:

  • a subsidy is available towards actual trainee costs incurred
  • accommodation is limited to $200 per night

Accommodation:

  • accommodation claims exceeding subsidy level
  • accommodation within the Wellington region

Travel:

  • flights and rail booked through preferred provider and based on Smart Saver rates²
  • public service mileage rates will be claimed when travel incurred by use of motor vehicle is necessary. It is expected that transport will be shared if more than 1 person attends the same event. Indicate on pre-approval application form if there are others applying for the same event.

Travel:

  • car-parking fees
  • insurance costs — staff travelling for work purposes are covered under corporate insurance (contact finance). Travel insurance is not claimable.
  • taxis or shuttles between home and airport or within Wellington region.

Professional development resources:

Professional development resources:

  • technological devices or clinical equipment, such as stethoscopes, examination torch, sphygmomanometer
  • books and learning resources
  • journals, magazines, professional organisation membership subscriptions
Service costs:

Service costs:

  • internal mandatory core competencies and organisational requirements
  • mandatory service specific training and education
  • service development initiatives

²Air travel should be booked through the CC travel request form received upon approval.

Your responsibility

Midwives who receive scholarship funds agree to the following: 

  • to keep the Workforce and Practice Development Unit (WPDU) informed of any change in circumstance, such as:
    • course unavailable
    • enrolment declined
    • employment change
    • moving cities
    • withdrawal
    • parental leave
  • minimise all costs
  • professional development pre-approval applications are to be made at least 6 weeks before the close of early bird rates, or departure and event start dates, to ensure bookings at the best travel and accommodation rates and registration at the early bird rate — in all cases, only the early bird rate will be reimbursed
  • conference attendance will require a report and presentation back to your service or organisation within 1 month of returning
  • each individual is responsible for claiming their costs to make sure expenses are accurately recorded against their entitlement — we recommend you do not pay for a colleague, as their costs will be deducted from your entitlement
  • approved applications must be finalised with FlexiPurchase within 3 months of the expense being incurred, after which time the claim lapses (this aligns with staff reimbursement procedure)
  • if you are presenting at a conference, it is expected that you first present locally, regionally, or nationally before international presentations.

Other scholarships available in New Zealand

Starting out in your health career or looking to upskill through additional learning opportunities? There may be a scholarship or grant for you.

Non-Health NZ Funded Scholarships and Grants