Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand

Pay boost ‘huge’ for community nurses

A 10 to 15 per cent pay boost for community nurses will make a 'huge' difference to keeping nurses and kaiāwhina in settings such as aged care, hospices and Māori and Pasifika health.

New Zealand needs 450 more ICU nurses, say critical care nursing leaders

Another 450 full-time critical care nurses are needed to safely staff the country's growing number of intensive care (ICU) beds, says NZNO's college of critical care nurses.

‘Come and stand in solidarity’ — nurses everywhere prepare to rise up on April 15

'We need to stand united, because we’re all nurses, we’re all in this together'. Nurses and health workers prepare to rise up -- Maranga Mai! -- for a national day of action.

Ex-minister gets schooled in primary health care as nurses get political

While full-time lobbyists are paid big bucks to door-knock politicians, primary health care nurses are taking time out of their work days caring for patients to do the same. Kaitiaki tagged along for one such visit - to former minister, National list MP Gerry Brownlee.

‘Immediate’ pay boost needed for struggling senior nurses, say nurse leaders

Senior nurses and leaders are pleading for more support over low morale and burnout as the pay gap with registered nurses (RNs) narrows.

Nurses turn out to support teachers’ strike action

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO members and staff turned out at rallies across the country in support of a nationwide teachers' strike on Thursday.

Nurse practitioners reject ‘denigrating’ GP college guidelines, will draw up their own

Mātanga tapuhi / nurse practitioners say revised guidelines on their role from the Royal College of GPs (RNZCGP) are "denigrating" and "disappointing", implying they must consult with GPs before making decisions.

Thanks, but where’s the rest? Nurses challenge Minister of Health on back pay

Pay equity salary increases of up to $12,000 per annum are "appreciated", but Wellington nurses today told Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall they want to be back-paid to 2019 "like we were promised".

‘I’m quite resilient – I guess [it’s] years of being a nurse’

She survived a deadly attack and, most recently, a cyclone that destroyed her home. But mental health nurse Ra Kupa is determined to rebuild and get back to work -- and can still make strangers laugh.

Emotional exhaustion hits nurses, two weeks after Cyclone Gabrielle

Nurses in regions devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle are in a state of shock, coping with post-event trauma while continuing to work and support each other.

Coal-fired boilers gone by 2025, fleet electrified — Te Whatu Ora vows to meet climate obligations

Post-cyclone with more climate-change related extreme weather events predicted, plans for a carbon-neutral health system are being welcomed by health professionals -- and the role of nurses is crucial.

Napier campus likely to be closed for three months

Hawke's Bay nursing school staff are juggling clean up operations at home and at work in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle's devastation, with their Napier campus likely to be closed for three months.

50 years nursing, going strong — and taking action to protect the profession she loves

A nearly 50-year career in nursing had a shaky start - fainting at the sight of a naked elderly patient - but Viv Draper says she has no regrets and will struggle to leave her job at Christchurch's spinal unit when the time comes.

Nursing studies on hold as 90 per cent of Napier campus damaged in cyclone

Nursing students at Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) say their programme is in limbo after the flood-damaged Hawke's Bay campus in Napier closed last week.

‘This is for us and for our future’ — caregivers join nurses for day of action this Saturday

'Exhausted' health-care assistants (HCAs) are rallying alongside nurses for safer staffing and better pay and conditions at this Saturday's NZNO day of action around Aotearoa.

‘Disingenuous’ – Kiwi nurses challenge claim pay rates now on par with Australia

The Government says a recent pay increase for Te Whatu Ora nurses puts their base rates 'on par' with Australian colleagues. But Kiwi nurses in Australia and a leading economist disagree, saying the claim doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

National anti-racism plan by the end of 2024

A national anti-racism action plan will be in place by the end of 2024, but doubts remain among some nurses about how effective it will be.

Nurse returns to work, days after losing everything in cyclone

A Hawke's Bay nurse who had to swim to safety from her flooded home and lost everything she owns in Cyclone Gabrielle was back on duty at Hawke's Bay Hospital four days later. 

Health and nursing workforce ‘top priority’, says new Health Minister Ayesha Verrall

'It's not rocket science, is it?' New Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall says fixing the nurse workforce will lift pressures on waiting lists, hospitals and aged care.

Thames Hospital staffing hit by cyclone road closures

Coromandel nurses who live on the east coast of the peninsula face an uncertain working future as Cyclone Gabrielle has wreaked havoc on the roads they travel to Thames Hospital.

Kaiwhakahaere among nurses forced to abandon flooded homes in cyclone

NZNO members are facing devastation and uncertainty as Cyclone Gabrielle continues its onslaught, with some left temporarily homeless and others stranded in regions without power and road access.  

‘We did it for awhi’ — nurses kick into action amid catastrophic floods

Delivering kai, nappies and making home visits -- nurses deliver wraparound care to flood-stricken Auckland communities.

Pay parity, pay equity for nurses: biggest challenges for new minister of health

NZNO leadership has praised new Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall for her “genuine approach”, while urging her to take swift action on pay parity – and outgoing Minister Andrew Little was thanked for “keeping door open and the conversation going”.

‘I feel like s…’ — vote for three per cent wage relief leaves sour taste

Desperate Whānau Āwhina Plunket members have voted to accept a three per cent lift in pay which they previously rejected, to stave off further financial hardship. They are now putting their hope in a pay parity top up which the Minister of Health has committed to.

Bargaining is getting a re-set under Maranga Mai!

Since the dawn of unionism, bargaining has been at the heart of getting a better deal for workers. But the traditional negotiation process, for Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO members, is in transition as it fits within the larger, cross-sector strategy of Maranga Mai!

Lumpectomy — an unflinching account of surviving breast cancer

'Why, when my cancer care was so excellent, did it also seem to miss so much of what is essential to health?' Tina Makereti shares an excerpt from her award-winning essay about surviving breast cancer.

New guide helps families of children with rare disorders

It is extremely challenging for families when a child is diagnosed with a rare disorder. A new guide can help parents and caregivers navigate their way to the best outcomes.

It’s cool to kōrero — March

I pakaru te whare o tātou e te haumātakataka tino kino. – The cyclone damaged our house.

MARCH 2023 crossword

Print out the grid (using PRINT tab at the bottom right of this page) and use the clues below. February’s answers are below the clues.

Asthma: Thinking SMART, using AIR and making a difference

Nurses have an important role in asthma care, whether as prescribers, or as asthma educators in primary care, hospital clinics or with the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation. This article looks at the latest guidelines for asthma management and discusses strategies for reducing the disproportionate asthma burden in Māori and Pacific peoples.

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"

Body clocks, the pandemic and NZ nursing histories — an intriguing line-up of books you can borrow

Histories of New Zealand nursing, experiences of the pandemic in Australia, the science of the body clock and its implications for shiftwork -- the NZNO library has something for you in its roster of new books.

Why ‘Barbie’s Bill’ and advance care plans matter to nurses

A national database of advance care plans is needed, to provide certainty for patients, families and hospital staff.

Course teaches conservative sharp debridement

Learn the skills needed to safely and competently perform conservative sharp debridement.

Nurses share hopes, achievements and challenges at first post-pandemic college & section day

COVID burnout and short-staffing fail to quell nurses' aspirations and hopes for the future.

`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.

FEBRUARY 2023 crossword

Print out the grid (using print tab at the bottom right of this page) and use the clues below. December’s answers are below the clues.