The Labour Party is promising to invest an extra $1.75 million a year into supporting the midwifery workforce.
It follows the release of a review into maternity services in Wellington, which says services are as safe as anywhere else in New Zealand, but recommends major improvements.
The Wellington review followed the death of a baby during a delivery at a maternity facility in Porirua in June.
It says there are not enough midwives or obstetricians to meet needs in Wellington, that information given to women can be inadequate and that media attention has not helped.
The review highlights tensions and a generally poor relationship between midwives and doctors, and recommends among other things that midwives in their first year of practice are supervised.
The Government has responded by releasing its plan for maternity services nationally and a funding boost to provide better training and support for midwives.
The Ministry of Health on Thursday defended the standard of maternity care in New Zealand.
