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Reciprocity.

The Nurses' and Midwives' Registration Board of New Zealand, owing to the alterations and additions in the standard of training and examination, found it necessary to review the reciprocity previously established between New Zealand and other countries. Considerable difficulty was, and has been, experienced in this matter owing to the fact that private hospitals are acknowledged in other countries as training schools which, to compensate for their lack of clinical material and small number of beds, give a training extending over four or five years, such training not being acceptable in New Zealand.

The difficulty was even greater with regard to the reciprocity in connection with obstetrical nurses because the standard of the training required from maternity nurses in New Zealand was equal to the standard required of midwives elsewhere, no other countries having a similar class of obstetrical nurses to the maternity nurses in the Dominion, and the various countries desired that their midwives should be registered as midwives in New Zealand and were not prepared to accept registration of the lesser qualifications of maternity nurses for them.

After considerable correspondence, extending over some years, reciprocity has now been established with the following countries:—

For Nurses:

• General Nursing Council for England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland.

• Nurses' Registration Board—New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia.

• Medical and Nursing Council—South Africa.

For Midwives:

Midwives registered in the various States of Australia are registered as “maternity nurses” in New Zealand without further training or examination. Midwives registered in New Zealand are registered as midwives in the various States of Australia. Maternity nurses registered in New Zealand are not registered in Australia.

The matter of reciprocity with the Central Midwives' Boards of England and Scotland is under treaty at present.

Canada and United States of America accept New Zealand registered nurses for registration who possess maternity or midwifery registration. Nurses from these countries are accepted in New Zealand for registration on their individual credentials.