Christchurch midwives are preparing to strike today.

Two weeks of rolling strikes began across the country last week as the midwives seek their own pay scale separate from nurses.

Today they will picket outside Christchurch Women's Hospital from 10.30am.

The union says it's unfair DHBs pay new graduate nurses in their first year to consolidate their clinical experience, but midwives self-fund the additional experience during their undergraduate degree at a cost of $20,000.

They are seeking a starting salary for midwives of just under $57,000.