A Palmerston North midwife repeatedly ignored requests to prove she was registered to practice, and has now been delivered a fine.

Patricia Emily Mason was found guilty of one charge of professional misconduct in a newly released New Zealand Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal finding.

She was also found to have practised midwifery without a current practising certificate.

Mason did not give evidence at the tribunal hearing, held in Wellington on June 25, but the five strong panel found the charges proved.

The tribunal found Mason had registered as a midwife on February 1, 1996. In September 2007 the Midwifery Council of New Zealand wrote to her advising her she had not undertaken a mandatory Midwifery Standards Review since April 2005.

She subsequently went through this process in December 2007.

Mason did not apply for a practising certificate for the 2010/11 year before the March 31, 2010, deadline.

On May 10, 2010, she told the council she was practising midwifery while waiting for funds to renew her certificate.

She was told to cease working immediately and renewed her certificate on May 12.

Several requests from the council to see Ms Mason's portfolio for an audit were then ignored before she next applied for a certificate on April 15, 2011.

At this point she had five women in her care despite her 2010/11 practising certificate having expired.

Mason was fined $500 and asked to pay a contribution towards the costs of the tribunal.

She was also ordered to undergo at least eight weeks of clinical assessment at her own cost with a council appointed assessor as well as a number of other training workshops and programmes.

- © Fairfax NZ News