This year's midwifery graduates found they were unable book to sit a registration exam in Auckland until 24 January. Photo: 123RF
The midwives' union says it is "completely unacceptable and appalling" that dozens of midwife graduates were prevented from sitting their final exams before Christmas because of a shortage of exam places, while test spots were set aside for electricians and pilots.
An AUT midwifery graduate, who RNZ has agreed not to name, said half of AUT's graduates for 2024 finished their studies last week, only to find they could not book to sit a registration exam in Auckland until 24 January.
Even if graduates were prepared to travel outside of Auckland, there were no exams in Northland until February, none in Waikato until 14 January.
The graduates received notice of their eligibility to sit their exam on 26 November, she added.
"When I looked at every testing location across the entire country [there were] only two exams in the entire country between [then] and the end of January. One in Gisborne and one in Christchurch - on the 27th of November."
In an email, the Midwifery Council told her it had raised the issue with its exam provider, Aspeq, and the situation was "not satisfactory" for Auckland-based graduates.
"The reason we have been given is that [there] has apparently been an increase in exam bookings for electrical and aviation professions during December."
Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) co-leader Caroline Conroy said it was "completely unacceptable".
"They've had a year's notice ... they knew how many student midwives were in their final year of their midwifery programme, they knew it was the largest cohort, ever, particularly coming out of AUT and Auckland."
The delay was also concerning given that new graduates are "desperately needed" by maternity services, particularly at Christmas which is a busy time, and it was "appalling" if the spots had gone to electricians and pilots instead of midwives. "There are still midwifery vacancies around the country, and new graduates are vital to that pipeline."
Meanwhile the graduates had been left in a "financial limbo" by the delay, unable to start a job and without a salary.
"They're not being paid as students so it has a financial impact on them as well, which is really disturbing. Many were planning to start before Christmas, so they were just waiting on sitting these exams so it's really, really disappointing. It's also disappointing it had to be escalated to the media, to actually get action."
Midwifery Council chief executive Lesley Clarke said the council was notified of the situation earlier this week and had been "urgently working" with the exam provider to secure places in December and January exclusively for midwifery graduates.
"These places are now available for booking and we anticipate that those graduates wanting to sit the exam before Christmas will now be able to do so."
The council had told Aspeq the number of expected graduates for 2024 in September, she added, "however there are variables in terms of exact timing of completion of the degree and the graduates' preferred venue and dates for sitting the exam, with some choosing to defer sitting the exam until after the Christmas holidays. This can make it difficult to predict the number of exam places that will be needed."
Aspeq's marketing and communications manager Amie Cripps said the extra sessions would allow up to 65 students in Auckland to sit their exams in December, "ensuring that AUT's anticipated 38 graduating midwifery candidates can complete their final assessments this year plus any other students returning to Auckland following their study in other centres".
Additional sessions specifically for midwifery candidates had also been opened for December in Lower Hutt, Tauranga, Hamilton, Christchurch and Dunedin, she added.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.