PROPOSED TEACHER EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS – CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION
New Zealand Diploma in Childbirth Education
Level 5 – 120 credits
STRATEGIC PURPOSE STATEMENTS
This qualification is designed for individuals wanting to teach and facilitate pregnancy and parenting
education to expectant parents in a wide variety of settings.
Graduates will have the clinical knowledge, facilitation and adult teaching skills to provide pregnancy,
childbirth and early parenting education courses.
This qualification will develop educators who can increase the awareness and knowledge of expectant
parents about the many choices and challenges related to childbirth and parenting, and contributes to
positive parenting and child health outcomes.
Graduates will have an understanding of a range of pedagogical principles and will be informed by Aotearoa
New Zealand's Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Pacific location, and multicultural environment. They will understand the
indigenous status of Tangata Whenua and the role of Tangata Tiriti in relation to the given contexts in which
they practise.
GRADUATE PROFILE OUTCOMES
Graduates of this qualification will be able to:
Design (65 credits)
1. Design childbirth education, informed by evidence based and current information, and research, in
response to client needs.
Facilitate Learning (40 credits)
2. Select and apply a variety of facilitation/teaching strategies in response to diverse needs and contexts.
Assess and Evaluate (15 credits)
3. Enhance learning through a range of assessment methods informed by contemporary research.
4. Evaluate teaching to improve learning and programme outcomes.
PATHWAYS
Education Pathway
Graduates of this qualification may undertake further study in midwifery and adult and tertiary teaching
education.
Employment and Community Pathways
Graduates of this qualification will have the skills and knowledge for roles, such as:
 pregnancy and/or parenting educators in community settings
 facilitators of adult learning groups.
Page 1 of 4
TEd Qualifications – Childbirth Education – For Consultation November 2014
PROPOSED TEACHER EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS – CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION
New Zealand Diploma in Childbirth Education
Level 5 – 120 credits
QUALIFICATION SPECIFICATIONS
Qualification award
This qualification will be awarded to people who have met the requirements of the outcomes. Credit gained
for an outcome may be used only once to meet the requirements of this qualification. Awarding bodies for
this qualification will be any education organisation accredited under section 38 of the Education
Amendment Act 2011 to deliver a programme leading to the qualification. The certificate will display the
NZQF logo and the name and logo of the awarding body.
Arrangements for managing consistency
All education organisations either arranging training or delivering programmes that lead to the award of the
qualification are required to participate with the qualification developer in a scheduled consistency process.
This will involve establishing a periodic cycle for the external consistency review, reviewing evidence
associated with graduates’ achievement of outcomes, and agreeing acceptable standards and/or
benchmarks for qualification outcome achievement, and areas for improvement.
New requirements for assuring consistency of graduate outcomes are being developed. Please refer to the
Guidelines for approval of New Zealand qualifications for listing on the New Zealand Qualifications
Framework available at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/providers-partners/consistency-of-graduate-outcomes/
Credit transfer and recognition of prior learning arrangements
Education organisations must have policies and procedures in place for managing credit transfer, and
assessing recognition of prior learning and recognition of current competency. These policies and
procedures, and associated fees must be available to the candidates prior to enrolment.
Where recognition of existing skills and knowledge is requested by the candidate, this will be arranged by
the education organisation delivering the programme leading to the qualification.
To facilitate credit transfer, education organisation must clearly demonstrate the equivalency between each
of the outcomes in the graduate profile, and the assessment components of their programmes.
Any credit transfer or recognition of prior learning will need to demonstrate the candidate’s consistency
with the graduate profile outcomes and conditions below.
Minimum standard of achievement and standards for grade endorsements
The minimum standard of achievement required for the award of the qualification will be the achievement
of all the graduate outcomes in the graduate profile. There are no grade endorsements for this qualification.
Entry Requirements
Entry requirements will be established by the tertiary education provider.
There are no mandatory prerequisites to meet regulatory body or legislative requirements.
Page 2 of 4
TEd Qualifications – Childbirth Education – For Consultation November 2014
PROPOSED TEACHER EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS – CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION
New Zealand Diploma in Childbirth Education
Level 5 – 120 credits
QUALIFICATION CONDITIONS
Conditions for programme structure
 Outcomes should be integrated across programme design.
 Programmes should demonstrate integrated assessment of all outcomes.
Conditions for programme context
 Practical experience must be authentic.
 Authentic refers to a wide variety of educational and instructional techniques connecting what
candidates learn to the world beyond the classroom, issues and applications.
Other conditions
 Te Tiriti o Waitangi refers to an agreement signed between the representatives of the British Crown
and approximately 540 Māori chiefs, known as The Treaty of Waitangi (the English version) and Te
Tiriti o Waitangi (the Māori version), that became New Zealand's founding document.
 Tangata Whenua refers to a Māori term of the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and literally
means "people of the land", from tangata, 'people' and whenua ‘land’.
 Tangata Tiriti refers to a generic term to describe people whose rights to live in Aotearoa New
Zealand derive from Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the arrangements that the Crown has established under
a common rule of law, and the equity provisions of Article 3 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Tangata Tiriti
translates as "People of the Treaty" and refers to peoples of ethnic origins, other than Māori, who
live in New Zealand.
 Providers need to ensure candidates are aware of the legal and ethical considerations of their sector.
 Providers must ensure that candidates must have a minimum of five adult learners within the
teaching setting.
 The programme operates within relevant legislation, policies, and codes of practice which include
(References to come):
 New Zealand Maternity Specifications
 Te Tiriti o Waitangi
 Cultural competency
 Principles of informed choice and informed consent
 International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and relevant subsequent World Health
Assembly resolutions
 Ministry of Health’s guidelines for Pregnancy and Parenting Education Specifications for
programme development.
Page 3 of 4
TEd Qualifications – Childbirth Education – For Consultation November 2014
PROPOSED TEACHER EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS – CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION
New Zealand Diploma in Childbirth Education
Level 5 – 120 credits
OUTCOME SPECIFIC CONDITIONS
Design (65 credits)
1. Design childbirth education, informed by evidence based and current information, and research, in
response to client needs.
Conditions:
 Design of the childbirth education programme includes:
 clinical knowledge in relation to anatomy, physiology, psychology and sociology of the child
bearing years
 birthing environment
 the influence of childbirth factors on birth outcomes
 cultural awareness and cultural safety
 teaching theories and strategies
 course design analysis
Facilitate Learning (40 credits)
2. Select and apply a variety of facilitation/teaching strategies in response to diverse needs and
contexts.
Conditions:
 Facilitation and teaching strategies informed by knowledge of:
 teaching theories
 group dynamics
 effective lesson planning
 variety of assessment and evaluation processes
 Response to diverse needs and contexts includes a value based framework that:
 respects the Treaty of Waitangi
 is inclusive of all cultures
 acknowledges the diversity of birthing women
Assess and Evaluate (15 credits)
3. Enhance learning through a range of assessment methods informed by contemporary research.
Conditions:
 Contemporary research refers to assessment theory and good practice
4. Evaluate teaching to improve learning and programme outcomes.
Conditions:
 Evaluation includes providing reflection and feedback from the participants, the educator and the
provider organisation with regards to effectiveness of teaching, programme content and the course
as a whole.
Page 4 of 4
TEd Qualifications – Childbirth Education – For Consultation November 2014