Kia ora koutou
Today Minister Brown announced that Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has contracted the Midwifery and Maternity Providers Organisation (MMPO) to implement, maintain and support a national administration and payment system for all eligible LMC midwives who choose to provide antenatal immunisations.
LMC midwives who claim from the Notice (Section 94) are eligible to claim the following immunisation funding from 1 July 2025:
Vaccine administration payment
for antenatal immunisation events (Tdap, influenza, and COVID-19 for vaccines administered to those meeting Pharmac eligibility criteria and within the midwifery scope of practice)
One-off $250 payment upon
completion of the IMAC Maternal Immunisation Essentials course, and
Cold-chain equipment funding,
available on a case-by-case basis to support safe vaccine storage and delivery.
This funding is part of a broader strategy to increase the number of women who receive antenatal immunisations (pertussis, influenza, Covid-19) during pregnancy, which is critical due to the ongoing national pertussis epidemic declared on 22 November 2024.
Hap? m?m? are recommended to receive the pertussis vaccine from 16 weeks of every pregnancy to allow protective antibodies to transfer to p?pi across the placenta. This vaccination can be considered dose zero, since it provides p?pi with the first protection against pertussis (whooping cough) before commencing their own immunisations at the age of six weeks.
Hap? m?m? are at increased risk of severe illness if they catch influenza while pregnant. The influenza vaccine also protects p?pi after birth, reducing the chances of catching or becoming very unwell or hospitalised with influenza.
The Immunisation team and I are excited to be working with the MMPO and New Zealand College of Midwives on this initiative. You can find more information about this on the MMPO website:
News Item:
https://mmpo.org.nz/news/vaccination-project/?
Resources Page:
https://mmpo.org.nz/resources/antenatal-immunisation-support-hub/
Ng? mihi nui,
Nikki Canter-Burgoyne
Ng?ti Kahu | Te Rarawa | Te Paatu
National Director Prevention ? Immunisation/Health Target Lead
National Public Health Service