Joan Donley
New Zealand midwife and home-birth advocate
About Joan Donley
Lived 1916 – 2005 (aged 89). Joan Donley was a New Zealand midwife.
Joan Elsa Donley (; 16 March 1916 – 4 December 2005) was a Canadian-born New Zealand nurse and midwife. Donley was a key figure who shaped midwifery and the homebirth movement in New Zealand.
Biography
Donley was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1916. She trained as a nurse at Saskatoon City Hospital as she could not afford to train as a doctor due to the Depression, , which is something the parents of over 730 babies she helped deliver attested to.
Donley was a outspoken domiciliary nurse, who formed both the Auckland Home Birth Association in 1978 and the New Zealand Domiciliary Midwives Society in 1981.
Personal life
Donley married her husband Robert Fuhland Donley in Vancouver on 22 November 1941. Together, they had five children. The pair divorced in 1970.
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Important facts
People in Joan Donley's life
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Joan Donley?
New Zealand midwife and home-birth advocate (1916-2005)
When was Joan Donley born?
Joan Donley was born on 19 March 1916 in Regina.
When did Joan Donley die?
Joan Donley died on 4 December 2005 in Auckland.
What was Joan Donley's occupation?
Joan Donley was a midwife.
What nationality was Joan Donley?
Joan Donley was New Zealand.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Joan Donley. https://biography.guide/joan-donley/
MLA: "Joan Donley." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/joan-donley/.
Chicago: "Joan Donley." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/joan-donley/.
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