
‘I feel it was inevitable — why should I be any different to anybody else?’
After a lifetime of fighting for other people's lives, Māori nurse and health researcher Jacquie Kidd is facing the end of her own.

A safe environment for Māori patients starts with a safe environment for Māori nurses
Rangi Blackmoore-Tufi reflects on some of the challenges she has faced being the sole Māori nurse in her perioperative department after a frustrating and stressful day.
News
Fast-track door to nursing in Aotearoa opens for Pacific nurses
A grandmother of seven is among 40 ākonga (students) who have signed up for a new diploma to support Pacific-trained nurses into the New Zealand workforce. |
News
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Proposed perioperative practitioner role could push nurses out of theatres — college
Nurses fear a proposal to turn anaesthetic technicians (ATs) into ‘perioperative practitioners’ could spell the end of nurses in operating theatres. |
News
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Nurses vote ‘overwhelmingly’ to accept pay equity offer
After more than a year of litigation, more than 30,000 nurses, health-care assistants (HCAs) and other kaimahi hauora have voted "overwhelmingly" to accept Te Whatu Ora's pay equity offer. |
News
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Te Whatu Ora members prepare to strike as call goes out for 4000 more nurses
Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, kaiāwhina and health-care assistants are preparing to strike next month, as NZNO calls for thousands more nurses to fill workforce gaps. |
News
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Nursing schools fight ‘significant’ proposed staff cuts
Proposed cuts to more than a quarter of Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington (VUW)'s school of nursing and midwifery staff have been paused after a $128 million Government tertiary education rescue package. |
News
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Nurses welcome ‘critical’ $128 million funding boost for tertiary education
Nurse educators are welcoming a $128-million funding boost for tertiary education, saying it is is "critical" to maintaining a highly skilled nursing workforce and improving patient outcomes. |
News
Scale of nursing deficit ‘confronting’, says minister as workforce plan announced
A long awaited national health workforce plan includes a target to reduce attrition rates of student nurses from 30 to 20 per cent, and provide more support to the existing workforce. |
News
Boost to student placements ‘amazing’ — but do we have enough teachers?
A commitment to boost nursing student numbers by 10 per cent has been welcomed as 'positive news' for the nursing sector, but concerns remain over how the additional recruits will be supported to get through their training. |
News
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Members encouraged to have say on NZNO’s future
NZNO members are being urged to give feedback on the future of the organisation, it's structures and governance as part of a wide-ranging review which many hope will result in a re-write of the constitution. |
News
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Celebration over pay disparity ‘fix’ for Māori, iwi, Pacific providers on hold for many
Many nurses and kaiāwhina who work for Māori, iwi and Pacific providers haven’t had a pay increase, despite an injection of $200 million towards closing the gap in rates with Te Whatu Ora. |
News
Mental health nursing ‘beyond crisis’
NZNO mental health nurses say their workforce is "beyond crisis" with record levels of violence -- often fuelled by methamphetamine -- coinciding with a dearth of senior nurses. |
News
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Strike action not ruled out as nurses overwhelmingly reject Te Whatu Ora’s proposal for offer
'Disheartened' but resolute nurses, midwives and kaiāwhina are not ruling out industrial action after a resounding rejection of Te Whatu Ora's proposal for an offer. |
News
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Huge attendance at stop-work meetings, as nurses say offer ‘disrespectful’
Nurses, midwives and health workers turned out in huge numbers to off-site stop-work meetings, with many expressing their anger and disgust over Te Whatu Ora's offer for a new two-year collective agreement. |
News
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Primary health care will ‘implode’ — eight per cent not enough to stem practice nurse haemorrhage
Practice nurses say an eight per cent pay rise is a "step" closer to hospital nurses' salaries -- but does not go nearly far enough. |
News
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A dream come true – kaupapa Māori kaiāwhina-to-nursing initiative breaks barriers to training
A Māori-led nursing earn-as-you-learn workforce initiative is giving some kaiāwhina (unregulated health workers) the chance to realise a life-long dream to be a nurse. |
Opinion
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Nurses’ work underestimated in general practice, say researchers
Nurses' work in general practices is underestimated to an unknown degree due to the way practice records are kept, according to researchers in a major New Zealand study. |
Letters
Please send letters for publication to: [email protected]. We reserve the right to edit letters for sense and length, and will not publish letters that are libellous, incite racial, sexual or religious hatred or constitute personal attacks. Shorter letters (under 400 words) are preferred. Please include name, address, nursing qualifications and phone number. |
Practice
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Ideas on culturally safe consultations
The path to culturally safe practice is full of opportunity; however it can be hard to incorporate new ways of working (and thinking) in such busy times. |
Practice
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Managing patients’ antibiotic expectations
Tackling inappropriate use of antibiotics is vital to preserving the effectiveness of these important drugs. In this country, for example, amoxicillin + clavulanic acid remains the second most-used antibiotic, despite very limited indications for its use. Inappropriate use of antibiotics may stem partly from meeting patient expectations for treatment. The following case study highlights how … Continue reading "Managing patients’ antibiotic expectations" |
Practice
How to provide culturally safe care in the Aotearoa perioperative environment
Perioperative nurses must provide safe patient care. An important aspect of safe care is culturally safe practice. This article discusses nurses’ responsibilities for reducing inequities and providing culturally safe care in operating rooms in Aotearoa New Zealand. |
Features
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Mahere hau — an integrated bicultural nursing assessment framework
Learning how to assess patients is at the foundation of nursing education. Staff at Waikato University's new nursing programmes have devised an assessment framework which incorporates the values they espouse -- using a bicultural and holistic approach to care which embeds mental health in all parts of the curriculum. |
Features
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‘I feel it was inevitable — why should I be any different to anybody else?’
Māori nurse, researcher and long-time advocate for equitable cancer outcomes in a Eurocentric and racist health system, Jacquie Kidd faces her own cancer diagnosis, that came too late. |
Features
A safe environment for Māori patients starts with a safe environment for Māori nurses
Rangi Blackmoore-Tufi reflects on some of the challenges she has faced being the sole Māori nurse in her perioperative department. Changes made following a frustrating and stressful day have made the department a safer place for Māori staff and patients. |
Features
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Now there’s an app for your CPD, thanks to a nurse
Nurses are obliged to show proof of ongoing clinical learning -- but it can be a chore to keep track of what you've actually done. |
Features
Maranga Mai!
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Maranga Mai! What needs to change for a safe, representative and flourishing nursing workforce?
Safe staffing, funding and mentoring for all nurses are key to a flourishing, representative and skilled workforce with enough Māori and Pacific to safely care for all Aotearoa communities -- a key focus of NZNO's Maranga Mai! strategy. |
Maranga Mai!
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Maranga Mai! – Nurses find their political voice
A general election is a golden opportunity for NZNO members to take political action and achieve policy changes. But what does it mean to be politically engaged, aware and active? Kaitiaki spoke to some members who are leading the way. |
Puzzles
Puzzles
Letters
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Abstracts wanted for stomal therapy nurses’ 2024 conference
Conference Link: CSTN Conference 2024 Conference theme “Innovation” Ellerslie Events Centre, Feb 29 – March 1, 2024 |
Letters
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Candidates for Nursing Council election
Nominations for three nurse members to be elected to the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) board closed at 5pm, Friday, June 30, 2023. |
Letters
New Zealand Faith Community Nurse Association closes
The New Zealand Faith Community Nurse Association (NZFCNA) has served many communities throughout New Zealand since a pilot at Nelson Cathedral over two decades ago begun by Elaine Tyrrell. This form of nursing practice combines practical nursing with the Christian ministry of health care. |
Letters
The New Zealand Nurses Memorial Fund ready to support nurses in times of hardship
In these challenging times of COVID, climate change and global recession, many people continue to experience financial hardship and we write to highlight the financial help available from the New Zealand Nurses Memorial Fund (NZNMF). |