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Story: Primary health care

Maternity benefits

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Maternity benefits

The Labour government introduced the maternity benefits scheme in 1939. Under this scheme, women received free maternity care and doctors had free access to hospitals for deliveries. It was initially resisted by some doctors, as this newspaper clipping from April 1939 shows. 'B.M.A.' stands for British Medical Association – the New Zealand branch represented local doctors.

Using this item

National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past

Reference: Evening Post, 28 April 1939, p. 12

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Michael Belgrave, Primary health care – Improving access to health care, 1900s–1970s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/31524/maternity-benefits (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Michael Belgrave, published 21 April 2011.