Partnership in education: The involvement of service users in one midwifery programme in New Zealand

This paper provides a description of service user involvement (at a variety of levels) in a direct entry midwifery programme at Otago Polytechnic in the South Island of New Zealand. Since its inception, the school of midwifery has sought active and meaningful ways to work in partnership with women, in the education of midwives. This paper specifically describes user involvement in four key areas; contribution to the curricula, programme monitoring, development and strategic planning, recruitment of students and staff and participation in student clinical experience and assessment.