As the only midwife on the East Cape, Corrina Parata walked for an hour during Cyclone Gabrielle to give supplies to a pregnant woman in distress.

But being the only midwife within 200km, working long hours and feeling professionally isolated saw Parata struggle with her mental health.

After developing a “fantasy” that she could create her own maternity service, she stole more than $100,000 from her employer Ngāti Porou Oranga (NPO) to make it happen.

Now she’s been suspended from midwifery for a year after the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal found her guilty of inappropriate financial gain.

Audit uncovered Parata’s stealing

Parata worked under NPO at Te Puia Springs Hospital in Gisborne from December 2013 to December 2023.

NPO paid her a salary of $104,000 and up until April 2023 she was the sole permanent salaried caseloading midwife based at the hospital.

The tribunal heard the demands of maintaining a safe maternity service became increasingly challenging for Parata.

She worked remotely, in a rural setting and predominantly in isolation from any other NPO service.

She had a high workload and lengthy periods of being on-call, often paid for women’s medication and food and even covered the cost of families’ petrol to enable them to get to appointments in Gisborne.

In 2023, during the time of Parata’s offending, Stuff reported she had walked one hour during Cyclone Gabrielle to give a 23-week pregnant woman in the Mangahauini​ Valley a care package after she had run out of food.

Over time, Parata considered that her workspace had become more consistent with that of a self-employed case-loading midwife.

She began to practise and claim salary under the Primary Maternity Services Notice, which she was not entitled to do so.

NPO began an audit after it found discrepancies in its financials, including a substantial underclaiming. Parata then admitted to the Midwifery Council what she had been doing.

The Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) then began an investigation.

It found Parata was responsible for making claims on behalf of NPO to Te Whatu Ora, which provides funding for the service.

Parata herself was not to receive any of those funds directly but rather was paid a salary for the services rendered.

For the period July 6, 2023, to December 6, 2023, there were claims made in Parata’s name and paid to Parata as Provider, which amounted to $52,687.24.

A spreadsheet provided by Te Whatu Ora to the PCC shows that there were 192 entries for that total, despite Parata not providing those services in her capacity as a self-employed caseloading LMC.

Parata admitted the conduct had occurred since 2022 and that the total she had taken was $100,000.

Parata told the tribunal that she was working excessive hours, in isolation, there was no system that allowed her to be relieved when working more than 12 hours at a time or for her to take sick leave or to attend tangihanga, and she was exposed to violence, unsafe buildings and unsuitable vehicles for her work.

She suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), daily episodes of extreme anxiety, chronic headaches, and chronic fatigue.

Parata said that she had often supported hapū māmā and whānau from her own pocket and she offered to repay the money taken.

Both NPO and Te Whatu Ora have been approached for comment.

‘This was clearly a fantasy’ - tribunal deputy chair

Tribunal deputy chairperson Susan Hughes KC said there was “no argument” that Parata should not have acted as she did by diverting funds intended for NPO to her own account.

“She explained that by saying that there was a threat that Te Puia Springs Hospital’s maternity service was at risk of closure due to damage caused by the various adverse weather events experienced by the East Cape.

Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal deputy chairperson Susan Hughes KC. Photo / Southland Times/Stuff

“She became convinced that she could develop a maternity service to serve the district using funds diverted. This was clearly a fantasy.”

As well as being suspended from practice for a period of 12 months, she had a number of restrictions in place if she was to return to midwifery.

This included that for a period of 24 months she will disclose to any employer, prospective employer or midwifery practice partner this decision and the conditions imposed, attend monthly supervision with a Midwifery Council-approved supervisor for the first year and provide a self-reflection report to the Midwifery Council every six months.

And all claims made to Te Whatu Ora by Parata would need to be signed off by another registered midwife for a period of 12 months.

Brianna McIlraith is a Queenstown-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the lower South Island. She has been a journalist since 2018 and has had a strong interest in business and financial journalism.