Being able to give their time and experience spurred three Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand midwives to come to work at Hawke’s Bay Hospital following Cyclone Gabrielle.
Mary-Rose Jenkins flew in from Queenstown, Nina Narain from Whanganui and Helen Bakker from Whakatane to help their midwifery colleagues during the national disaster.
Ms Narain, who is currently on maternity leave, said the stories that were coming out of Hawke’s Bay were so moving that she felt compelled to come and assist.
Flying into the region was also eye-opening.
“It looked like a tiger had come along and scratched down all the hills. It was incredibly sad to see.”
“I just couldn’t imagine if it had happened to us. I thought of the midwives who would be doing their best to look after women in their care while they had so much going on in their own lives.
“I knew my family was safe so I signed up for two weeks of locum work.”
When Ms Jenkins got the email seeking workforce assistance she emailed straight back.
“I thought, well that’s something I can do and a way I can really help.”
She flew from Queenstown, transferring flights in Christchurch, where she met a group from the College of Midwives who had an additional suitcase to provide sustenance to the maternity workforce in Hawke’s Bay.
“I had packed some treats in my own suitcase and then with the additional suitcase I think I took up 52kg of cookies and chocolate for staff.”
And the treats were gratefully received by staff – a number of whom had been directly impacted by flooding.
Ms Jenkins, Ms Narain and Ms Bakker were welcomed to the ward and were soon providing post-natal care and delivering pēpi.
“We were there to do a job and were able to give the local midwives a much-needed break,” Ms Jenkins said.
Ms Narain added: “We supported the maternity team so that they could leave early if they had to navigate closed bridges or congestion on the roads. It was nice knowing that we could take a little stress off an already stressed workforce.”
The three emergency locums stayed in a house whose owners had gone on holiday, were loaned a car and became fast friends.
“Despite the circumstances, it was a really positive experience, being able to help out and connect with other midwifery colleagues,” Ms Narain said.
Catherine Overfield, Acting Director of Midwifery in Hawke’s Bay said the team couldn’t thank the locums enough – and their Te Whatu Ora teams that released them to come and assist.
“The tautoko (support) and aroha from our national colleagues was amazing and helped us continue to provide a high level of care for our māmā and pēpi in a very stressful situation.”
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