Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand

Just one doctor at Thames Hospital – ‘a huge risk’

Thames Hospital ED normally has three day shifts for doctors, but recently this dropped to just one - a situation which left patients and staff vulnerable to serious adverse events, NZNO members say.*

Black Ferns take time out from celebrations to tautoko nurses

World Cup Rugby winners, the Black Ferns, took time out from their public celebrations to champion the cause of nurses in Wellington this month.

Report shows funding gap of nine per cent for general practices

As primary health care nurses grit their teeth to hold out for a better pay deal in the new year, a report commissioned by the interim health transition unit shows their employers are woefully underfunded.

New Zealand ‘preferred destination’ for overseas nurses after visa changes

Migrant nurses are welcoming the Government’s move to put them on the straight-to-residency visa – but say they should have been included from the start.

‘This is my way of giving back to nursing’ – union powerhouse starts role at NZNO

Karene Walton, NZNO's recently appointed director of organising, says there's never been a better, or more important, time for NZNO members to take collective action.

‘I just wouldn’t let them rattle me’ – NZNO wins three-year battle over public holiday pay

After a three-and-a-half-year battle, including a grilling on the witness stand, delegate and hospice nurse Rachel Clarke is thrilled to the Employment Court found she and her colleagues at Arohanui Hospice Palmerston North, were entitled to be paid for public holidays not worked.

Interim pay equity lift brings celebration, relief and disbelief

Nurses employed by Te Whatu Ora are welcoming a lift to their pay rates as an interim measure to recognise gender-pay discrimination -- but many remain sceptical. 

Strength ‘tinged with sadness’ — Lesley Elliott remembered by nursing colleagues

Kind, caring – and incredibly strong. That is how colleagues from the close-knit neonatal intensive care (NICU) at Dunedin Hospital remember Lesley Elliott.

New online learning series on consumer rights will ‘strengthen patient relationship’ — HDC

New online learning modules to support health professionals' working knowledge and understanding of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights have been launched.

Long-time NZNO flight nurse chair recognised with double awards

Long-time NZNO flight nurse leader Toni Johnston was "blindsided" by a double-award whammy after stepping down as College of Air and Surface Transport Nurses (COASTN) chair after seven years.

Minister looking at paid third-year placements, but no sign of more fees-free

Paid clinical placements 'a nod in the right direction', but free nursing study for all is the goal, say student nursing leaders.

First-year nursing student juggles 60-hr week factory job and full-time study

Nursing students are battling against the odds to "just survive" in the face of huge financial pressures, with some trying to hold down full-time jobs while meeting academic and clinical training expectations.

Pay parity for aged care and iwi nurses ‘a step in the right direction’

NZNO aged care and iwi nurses are welcoming a $200 million annual cash injection which will bring pay parity with Te Whatu Ora nurses — but NZNO says practice nurses must be included.

Pay equity battle: ‘There are people in need at the end of this process’

Australian union lawyer and researcher Lisa Heap is lending her experience in the battle for pay equity, alongside employment lawyer Peter Cranney. Heap spoke to Kaitiaki about her trans-Tasman work to achieve pay justice for caring professions.

Pay parity solution ‘well before’ end of year: Minister

Negotiations over a pay deal for primary health care and Whānau Awhina Plunket nurses have stalled since the group went on strike last week, but Health Minister Andrew Little says he’s confident a solution will be found by Christmas.

Extra-shift boycott effective, but stressful: survey

Exhausted and demoralised Te Whatu Ora nurses took action to highlight extreme staffing shortages and a lack of negotiation for extra-shift payments over one week early last month. An NZNO survey about the action showed there were mixed feelings about the boycott, but most took part, and would support doing it again.

Leadership skills honed during pandemic, says outgoing Kate Weston

The best of times, the worst of times: After 15 years at NZNO, former professional services associate manager Kate Weston has moved on to become the executive director of the College of Nurses Aotearoa - thanks to leadership skills honed at NZNO during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fund our training — it’s time for the Government to seriously invest in the domestic nursing workforce

An increasingly ‘academic-oriented’ nursing profession has done nothing to support Māori into the workforce, says Māori nurse educator Pipi Barton, in a call to return to paid training.

‘We have given until we’ve bled’ — the importance of a shared struggle

You may have noticed I’ve been talking a lot lately about the power of the collective and NZNO members — whether nurses, kaiāwhina or health-care assistants — turning up for each other, no matter where or what part of the health sector you work in.

Maranga Mai! Rowing towards change on the same waka

At the heart of Maranga Mai! – NZNO’s campaign to fix the nursing crisis - are individual members who are empowered to act collectively for change. The goal is "building member power" by growing the membership, and increasing member support for each other, to gain permanent solutions to the health care crisis.

Maranga Mai! Immigration — what needs to change?

Maranga Mai! -- NZNO's campaign to fix the nursing crisis --calls for immigration rules that will increase the recruitment and retention of migrant nurses. But after being left off the fast-track to residency here amid a global nursing shortage, migrant nurses are eyeing other countries with fewer barriers. What needs to change?

How primary care can improve antimicrobial stewardship

Antimicrobial resistance — when pathogens develop resistance to drugs used to fight them — is a serious threat to health care in New Zealand and around the world. Antimicrobial stewardship — ie careful and appropriate use of antimicrobial drugs (including antibiotics) — is vital to preserving the effectiveness of these medicines. This article explains the … Continue reading "How primary care can improve antimicrobial stewardship"

Grisly experiences drove history graduate into nursing

In the final of our NZNO board member profiles, Wellington perioperative nurse Simon Auty describes the grisly experiences that drove him to become a nurse.

Academia, activism and nursing – the key drivers for Grant Brookes

An unexpected period of living rough while on his OE, gave Grant Brookes a taste of "how the other half lives" and deepened his drive to advocate for human rights. As part of a series on the NZNO board of directors, Brookes spoke to Kaitiaki about his story.

Working at a local meat works, getting pregnant — or nursing

Nursing was an escape route from rural poverty and boredom into a world of service for Margaret Hand.  She spoke to Kaitiaki about her passion to help vulnerable whānau for a series on the board directors.

The dyslexia disadvantage in nursing

What barriers do nurses with dyslexia face at work? And might some qualities of dyslexia make you a better nurse? A third-year nursing student, who herself has dyslexia, investigates.

It’s cool to kōrero — December

Kei te whiti mai a Tama-nui-te-rā. – The sun is shining.

`Kōrero I wish I could’ve had with the Well Child nurse’

Wāhi Kōrero is a unique research project where patients share their stories of care that did not meet their needs, via an online story-sharing platform. In the first part of this project, young mothers share challenging accounts of their experiences with Well Child nurses.

DECEMBER crossword

Here's our new crossword for December. Print out the grid (using print tab at the bottom right of this page) and use the clues below. Last month's answers are below the clues.

Nearly 50 years of comprehensive training

Just a heads up that 2023 will mark 50 years since New Zealand started comprehensive nursing training. In 1973, Christchurch and Wellington were the first two polytechnics to start this new method of nurse training, following the publication of the Carpenter report.

Greenlane Hospital class of Jan ’73 reunion

Let's get together!

Applications open for new $3000 nursing scholarship in South Canterbury

A new scholarship for nursing students in South Canterbury is now available through the Bidwill Trust Hospital in Timaru.