I was born in Auckland and brought up in Nelson, with many years spent in the United Kingdom. My career in health began at the age of 17 as a nursing auxiliary, then an army nurse in the QARANC. I became a midwife after completing a midwifery education programme at Bournemouth University in the late 1990’s. I returned to NZ in 2000 initially spending 14 years as a core, continuity and lead maternity carer (LMC) midwife. In 2018 I completed a Master’s degree at Victoria University of Wellington where my research explored the experiences of midwives who transition work settings. I am currently a doctoral candidate at AUT researching the use of virtual reality in midwifery education. In 2010 I began transitioning into academia and started working for the New Zealand College of Midwives as a part time educator, and eventually spent many years at Ara Institute of Canterbury in Christchurch as a senior academic staff member and Associate Head of Midwifery in the full-time undergraduate programme. In early 2023 I moved to Edith Cowan University Perth, Australia where I now live and work.
