"It means standing up for what's good about our system, the importance of caring for women and babies and doing everything we possibly can to try and protect what we have."
After tax and expenses rural LMC midwives earn about $7.38 an hour, while urban LMC midwives earn around $12.80
The College of Midwives began fighting for pay equity across the country three years ago when it began court action under the previous Government.
Last year the College and the Ministry of Health reached an agreement to design a new funding model for community-based (LMC) midwives.
"We want the Ministry of Health to fund the model of the midwifery care we have, fund it properly, to ensure the safety for mothers and babies in New Zealand and hopefully stop other midwives continuing to leave the system for Australia and other occupations," Glass said.
She said it was important regional and rural New Zealand was represented in the march.
"We need to protect the system for all of New Zealand; not just the big centres. Rural and regional areas also need midwives and we need to raise the awareness of that as well.
"It's a nationwide issue but in Hawke's Bay we have lots of rural areas and we really need to protect of the model of midwifery for all of New Zealand."
Glass said local faction of the College had organised the group's trip to Wellington with great collegial support, however she didn't feel confident the Government would deliver come Budget day.
"I think the Ministry of Health have a lack of awareness of the importance of the work that we do and an understanding of how economical the model is that we work under already.
"I also think the big concern we have is that if we don't get appropriate funding and midwives leave it's not just primary women who are going to be affected but services to secondary care women as well."
She said she was aware of a large number of local LMC midwives that would consider leaving either immediately or in the short term if their funding needs weren't met.
