Kendra Short
“There’s no typical day in the life of a rural midwife.”
A regular mentor of Ara midwifery students, midwife Kendra Short is passionate about community midwifery and equitable access to healthcare services for rural communities.
Living near the small South Canterbury town of Geraldine and working as a community midwife for the past eight years, she’s well equipped to walk the talk.
The Ara graduate, and co-chair of the rural midwifery and maternity chapter of the Hauora Taiwhenua Council (HTC), a collective organisation advocating for the health and wellbeing of rural New Zealanders, is certainly willing to promote the profession.
Fronting a video on the HTC website highlighting the rewarding life of a rural midwife, Short describes her passion for mentoring Ara midwifery students and proudly reveals that her own daughter is also studying midwifery through Ara.
“Evie is now in the second year of her degree at Ara doing the same programme I did and is absolutely loving it. She’s one of the strongest women I know so she is going to be awesome,” she said with a smile.
Tammie Payne, who featured in the video as a final year student has now completed her studies and is a full-time midwife based at Aoraki Midwives in Timaru. She said her practical placements were valuable and “eye-opening”.
“Coming home to South Canterbury and working alongside Kendra was an incredible experience. It was my first look into rural midwifery care after spending most of my degree in a large urban centre and a great re-introduction to the community,” she said.
“I feel really well supported here in South Canterbury and I'm so grateful for the way local midwives and other care providers have welcomed me. It's been great to be surrounded by people who are passionate about supporting their local students and graduates.”
Short said nothing compared to real-life experience within a student’s training. “It was wonderful having Tammie watching and learning from me last year. You can see in the video she was involved in the full scope of midwifery care from prenatal checks to delivering babies.”
The feature produced for HTC was a tool to encourage others to take up the profession and get involved in rural health delivery.
“We advocate for, promote, and support a sustainable rural midwifery and primary maternity workforce that is committed to providing culturally safe and appropriate maternity care to rural communities,” Short said.
On a lighter side, the HTC video reveals that Short is something of a record keeper. She noted being involved in the birth of 68 babies in 2023, clocking up sixty thousand kilometres and breaking six windscreens and three wheelrims in the process. She also “encountered” a variety of roadkill on rural roads and consumed more than 730 coffees.
“There’s no typical day in the life of a rural midwife,” she said. “We have to think on our feet and it’s important to get together with colleagues to compare notes, check in and share knowledge especially when encountering things you only come across a few times in your career.”
“What is most rewarding for me is that I’m serving my community and helping to grow vibrant rural communities too.”
In a sector in full of opportunities, Kendra Short is certainly doing her bit to encourage a new generation of midwives.