Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand

NZNO ‘thrilled’ with PHC MECA vote

The proposed primary health care multi-employer collective agreement (PHC MECA) has been overwhelmingly endorsed by members.

Unions encouraging member vaccinations

NZNO and 26 other unions have agreed to "educate, support and encourage" their 320,000 members to have the COVID-19 vaccine.

Māori providers ‘pivotal’ in rollout

Māori and iwi health providers in Northland are preparing to roll out the COVID-19 vaccination to remote and vulnerable Māori communities.

Enrolled nurses fighting to become vaccinators

NZNO's enrolled nurse (EN) section has taken its fight for ENs to become provisional COVID-19 vaccinators to the Minister of Health. And it seems to have worked.

Growing interest in IPC nursing – college

Infection prevention skills have never been more crucial, says college.

Offer to follow ‘focused’ DHB MECA negotiations

Two small teams of negotiators are exploring "ideas and options" for a new NZNO/district health board multi-employer collective agreement (DHB MECA).

Board review recommends some radical changes

A smaller board of nine, an appointed chair, two appointed directors to bridge skill gaps and a half-time president and kaiwhakahaere are among the key recommendations of the NZNO governance review, completed late last year.

Members petition for release of review report

A member petition for the NZNO board of directors to release the full evaluation of its performance has so far attracted 200 signatories.

Acting chief executive appointed

NZNO's manager of nursing and professional services (MNPS) Mairi Lucas (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Raukawa) has been appointed acting chief executive (CE) by NZNO's board of directors, following Memo Musa's resignation last month.

Board still to decide how best to fill presidential vacancy

NZNO's board of directors was still considering how best to fill the presidential vacancy, when Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand went to press.

Akenehi Hei award to Tai Tokerau nurse

Tai Tokerau nurse Marie Noa (Ngāti Hine) has received the Te Rūnanga o Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) Te Akenehi Hei Award. Noa was recognised for her contribution to the health of whānau Māori in Te Tai Tokerau and Aotearoa over several decades.

Nurses are biggest salary spend for DHBs

District health boards (DHBs) spend the biggest chunk of their $6.3 billion salary costs on nurses – $2.2 billion or 36 per cent – according to a report by the Health Workforce Directorate.

NZNO welcomes PHARMAC review

A six-strong team, led by consumer advocate Sue Chetwin, is to review PHARMAC, the government agency which decides which medicines and medical devices will be funded. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Andrew Little announced the review early this month.

New top nurse for Northland

Northland District Health Board (DHB) has a new chief nurse and midwifery officer Maree Sheard, a former director of nursing (DoN) in the New Zealand Army.

Nurses on wrong salary steps

Up to 25 nurses working in managed isolation facilities (MIF) in Christchurch are being paid lower salaries than they are entitled to, NZNO organiser Danielle Davies says.

Secondment to help with community nurse prescribing

Deputy chief nurse at Counties Manukau District Health Board (DHB) Karyn Sangster has been seconded to the Nursing Council for 12 months to advance its nurse prescribing agenda.

Nursing Council election results not yet announced

The three successful candidates in last year's election of nurses to the Nursing Council have still not been announced, a delay council chief executive Catherine Byrne described as "frustrating".

Practice guide for cytotoxic drugs

WorkSafe Mahi Haumau Aotearoa has produced a good practice guide to help keep workers safe when handling cytotoxic drugs and related waste.

Making a difference together

When I began my nursing career in the mid-1970s, there was no such thing as an infection control nurse. We followed very prescribed ways of doing things without question, believing we were doing the right thing.

Caring for the Pacific community after the Christchurch earthquake

A project set up in the days following the the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, provided health care and other services to many Pacific people who were struggling. And that work helped shape a Samoan nursing leader.

Realistic patient simulations

Patient simulations that mimic high-stress, multi-patient clinical situations are important to prepare students for the realities of practice.

Education must promote nursing’s voice

Nursing education must prepare confident nurses able to clearly communicate the value of nursing across the health system.

Vaccine rollout raises many member issues

The rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine poses employment, professional and personal issues for members.

IPC nurses stretched ’50 ways’

Wellington clinical nurse specialist Karen Corban has done everything in the past year, from preparing for an Avatar film crew flying in, to ensuring Wellington's MIQ facilities are safe.

No longer ‘tedious’ hand-washers

Infection prevention and control nursing is finally commanding the respect it deserves.

Remembering February 22, 2011

February 22, 2011, will forever be etched in the minds of Cantabrians. At 12.51pm on that day, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, killing 185 people and destroying the central city. A decade on, the impact of that day is still felt.

A week to celebrate ‘unsung heroes’

Acknowledging that caregivers are our unsung modern heroes as we celebrate National Caregiver’s Week (March 22-28).

Supporting male nursing students – what works best?

Many men who start the bachelor of nursing degree fail to complete it, with significant numbers dropping out in the first year. How can male students be supported to keep at their nursing studies?

Cultural safety in disaster nursing

Perspectives from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the earthquake in Christchurch featured at a forum on the importance of cultural safety in disaster nursing.

What value do ePortfolios bring to students?

Nursing lecturers at the Southern Institute of Technology have conducted a longitudinal study examining the value of ePortfolios for undergraduate students.

Nurses urged to use their voice

Speakers at NZNO's first professional forum for 2021 suggest advocacy is a key part of nursing and nurses must always keep a record of their advocacy efforts.

Whānau must be centre of ‘everything’

Placing whānau at the centre of everything nurses do and viewing the therapeutic relationship as a nurse/whānau relationship, rather than a nurse/patient relationship, were two key messages presenter Tracy Haddon delivered at the NZNO professional forum.

Aged care: Cuts at Timaru facility

Job cuts and reductions in hours of work at Timaru's Arvida-owned Strathallan aged-care facility have gone ahead, despite staff and community opposition.

Primary health care: Plunket preparations

Claims endorsement meetings for Plunket collective agreement (CA) negotiations are being held this month. Negotiations will most likely start next month.

Parking hike at Capital & Coast delayed

A decision on whether to raise staff carparking rates at Wellington Regional Hospital has been postponed, after surgeons and anaesthetists joined in to protest against the hikes.

New and familiar faces on industrial team

Some new faces have joined NZNO's industrial services team (IST), while some familiar faces have new roles. Acting IST manager Glenda Alexander announced a raft of appointments last month.

Primary health care: New deal at Family Planning

The first-ever national strike at Family Planning (FP), scheduled for February 16, was averted thanks to mediation last month and a revised collective agreement (CA).

Changes to Holidays Act welcomed

Workers will be able to get sick leave, bereavement and family violence leave from the first days of their employment under changes to the Holidays Act.

NZNO finances better off due to COVID

NZNO is facing a pre-tax deficit of $673,000 for the nine months to December 31, 2020 – $448,000 better than the budgeted pre-tax deficit of $1.121 million.

Board approves 2021/2022 budget deficit

In his report to the board, corporate services manager David Woltman presented a budgeted deficit of $478,000 for 2021/22 and small surpluses in the following two years.

Equity framework to be ‘socialised’ to staff, members

The board approved a project brief on the development of an equity framework to guide NZNO in all its work.

Pharmacists, vision and hearing specialists to become members

The board agreed to allow pharmacists and vision and hearing specialists employed by Tai Tokerau's largest Māori health provider, Ngāti Hine Health Trust, and covered by its collective agreement (CA) with NZNO, to become members of NZNO.

Annual plan updated

NZNO's draft annual plan has been revised and updated to include the three pillars included in the organisation’s 2021-2025 strategic plan and to update the plan’s key priorities, chief executive Memo Musa told the board.