Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand

Road closed! NZNO members span hospital road for workers’ rights

NZNO members formed part of a human chain outside Wellington's hospital on Friday.

Senior nurse speaks about May Day event as activities spark up around the country

Senior nurse Mae Gadd puts out the karanga to members to head to Wellington hospital on May 1 to honour the great mahi done by health workers.

What next? Decision time again for Te Whatu Ora NZNO members

With another offer on the table from Te Whatu Ora in NZNO members' bargaining, Debbie Handisides, from the bargaining team, outlines the next steps.

Nurses link across the country — and street — against Government attacks on rights

Some nurses were leaving a long shift, others gearing up to start one -- they were the first links in a literal, and figurative, chain across Aotearoa for workers' rights.

By Mary Longmore and Joel Maxwell

An honest kōrero: Four decades later, are we honouring Irihapeti’s vision?

Time for a 'frank and honest conversation' about cultural safety, says nursing kaiako Pipi Barton.

By Pipi Barton

Pasifika nurses urged to join CENNZ as annual conference wraps up in Auckland

NZNO's college of emergency nurses NZ (CENNZ) held its 30th annual conference in Auckland in March.

By Sione 'Ulufonua

News

Nurses link across the country — and street — against Government attacks on rights

Some nurses were leaving a long shift, others gearing up to start one -- they were the first links in a literal, and figurative, chain across Aotearoa for workers' rights.

News

Decision time for members — new offer on the table from Te Whatu Ora

It's decision time for the 36,000 NZNO Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ) members as they consider new potential terms of settlement in bargaining.

News

Community health nurses win six per cent pay rise after ‘humiliating’ bargaining

Access community health nurses endure eye rolls and being told their concerns are 'boring'.

News

Free bowel cancer screening cut-off ‘racist’ say NZNO cancer nurses

NZNO cancer nurses condemn the Government refusal to lower the free bowel screening age to 50 for Māori.

News

‘It’s not about the pay’ — Auckland district nurses go on strike

More than 60 district nurses in Auckland are on strike today, saying they are fed up with empty promises and being ignored.

News

Aotearoa’s 1000th nurse practitioner stoked to join ‘kick-ass’ circle

Auckland sexual health nurse Rose Hutchinson says while it's pretty random, she is "humbled and proud" to be Aotearoa's 1000th mātanga tapuhi/nurse practitioner.

Opinion

An honest kōrero: Four decades later, are we honouring Irihapeti’s vision?

If the goal was transformation, then why do Māori health inequities persist after decades of cultural safety education? Pipi Barton examines the disconnect between nursing education, its practice, and Irihapeti Ramsden's vision.

Opinion

‘Missed meds, delayed treatments, staff pushed beyond limits’: Nurses have a right to safety

When nurses hesitate to enter ward doors then something has gone wrong. On workers' memorial day, enrolled nurse Tina Giles shares her thoughts on fighting for workplace safety.

Opinion

Why community health screening and education events are crucial

Auckland emergency nurse Sione 'Ulufonua is moved by the hard mahi and passion of health professionals at a recent free community screening day in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Opinion

Lack of staff sparks ‘grave fears’ for patients, striking district nurses tell local MP Erica Stanford

Auckland district nurses say a lack of resources mean they are having to use incontinence pads to dress patients’ leg ulcers.

Opinion

Weaving together the strands — why we updated kawa whakaruruhau

The Nursing Council has updated its 2011 cultural safety guidelines. Kaiwhakahaere Waikura Kamo and chief education advisor Annette Huntington share the past, present and future of a document that has grown through generations of nurses.

Opinion

‘Growing up with Irihapeti’: Revealing the human behind the nursing leader

Even while being extraordinary, Irihapeti Ramsden was extraordinarily human, daughter Pirimia Burger revealed in her speech in February, reproduced here, marking refreshed kawa whakaruruhau guidance.

Professional

Nurse practitioners in Aotearoa: what national surveys tell us

This year we celebrate 25 years of nurse practitioners in Aotearoa. It is a timely moment to reflect on their contributions to health care, how the role has grown -- and what still needs to change, suggests New Zealand's first NP Deborah L Harris.

Professional

Strengthening Māori nursing in Aotearoa — helping beat our whakamā

Academic kaiāwhina can offer powerful assistance to Māori nursing students. Now a proposed study for 2026 aims to explore this 'bridge' to whanaungatanga from the students' perspective.

Professional

From hospital to home — the power of good written information after discharge

A simple, well-written pamphlet can make a huge difference to patients after discharge. Auckland University nursing students explain why simple language cuts readmissions.

Features

Presence and absence in aged residential care: The quiet reality of loneliness and isolation

Nurse and researcher Adetoun Oyekunle reflects on the daily loneliness she's witnessed among aged-care residents.

Features

‘Not a birthday I expected to see’ — nurse, patient and professor Jacquie Kidd on stage-four cancer and racism

When poet, nurse and Māori health professor Jacquie Kidd, Ngāpuhi, talks to me, it is her 63rd birthday.

Colleges & Sections

Women’s health college: Continuing to break barriers in nurse-led care

More nurses than ever are expanding into advanced practice such as colposcopy and hysteroscopy, which can prevent gynaelogical cancers -- but more are urgently needed, says departing college chair Jill Lamb.

Colleges & Sections

Pasifika nurses urged to join CENNZ as annual conference wraps up in Auckland

NZNO's college of emergency nurses NZ (CENNZ) held its 30th annual conference in Auckland in March.

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.

Letters

Out-of-date laws, red flags and STI home-testing — NZ regulations too lax

Registered nurse Janine Falkiner offers a tongue-in-cheek home-testing case study in her letter that reveals how Australia's medical regulations are better than ours.

Letters

Join our nationwide survey on Tiriti-based organisational journeys

Has your organisation been, or is on, a Te Tiriti o Waitangi journey? Researchers exploring how kāwanatanga -- authority to govern -- can be exercised in a truly ethical and te Tiriti-led way, want to hear from you.

Daily doses – uncut news

30 Apr	BroPilot grounding digital tools in whānau, culture, and care A passion for his Māori culture and a desire to make AI accessible to everyone inspired Troy Baker, Senior ICT Specialist, Health New Zealand to develop BroPilot – a culturally grounded way of working with Microsoft Copilot that reflects Māori values, whakaaro, and real lived experience.
29 Apr	Heartbreaking tragedies were avoidable - NZNO Analysis by a media outlet, published today, finding health care staff shortages were contributing factors in the deaths of 11 babies is a national and avoidable tragedy, NZNO says.
28 Apr	CTU launches Roving Health and Safety Representatives policy on Workers’ Memorial Day The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi has today launched our Roving Health and Safety Representatives policy at the Workers’ Memorial Day commemoration in Wellington, with further events held across the motu in Manawatū, Christchurch, and Otago.
24 Apr	“The 80s Calling”: New national campaign challenges outdated HIV stigma Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey today launched Health New Zealand’s “The 80s Calling”; a provocative new campaign designed to reduce stigma, normalise conversations about HIV, and support people living with HIV.
23 Apr	Government’s attack on Māori health raised at the UN Concerns over the Coalition Government’s active reversal of policies designed to improve Māori health outcomes were raised at the United Nations in New York this morning.
16 Apr	Tribute to Professor Lester Levy’s service to healthcare Health New Zealand Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley is paying tribute to Health NZ Board Chair Professor Lester Levy, who finishes in the role at the end of the month.
10 Apr	Chronic health care assistant short staffing harming vulnerable patients Te Whatu Ora’s attempt to cut costs by requiring health care assistants to carry out cohort patient watches is harming vulnerable patients and staff, NZNO says.
9 Apr	New group education clinics speeding up knee and hip surgery care Health New Zealand is rolling out a new group education approach for people waiting for hip and knee surgery in north and west Auckland, resulting in more patients being seen sooner.
25 Mar	National Diabetes Roadmap launched to improve care, prevention, and quality of life Health New Zealand has launched a new National Diabetes Roadmap (‘the Roadmap’) to improve care, strengthen prevention, and support better health outcomes and quality of life for people living with diabetes.
24 Mar	ACT should leave nursing to professionals and medical evidence Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says ACT MP Todd Stephenson has dismissed the Nursing Council’s draft code of conduct - which proposes strengthening cultural safety, whānau-centred care and te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations - as political ideology.
23 Mar	UK report reflects ICN warnings on international recruitment ripoff — now countries must act together The International Council of Nurses (ICN) warmly welcomes a new report from the UK All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Global Health and Security that recognizes the huge sums saved by high-income countries who recruit abroad and acknowledges the severe harms caused by unethical recruitment from fragile source countries left without nurses.
20 Mar	HPV self-test boosts cervical cancer screening ‘across the board’, new study confirms Making human papillomavirus (HPV) self-testing available to all women increases the number of people screened for cervical cancer, a new study led by researchers from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington has confirmed.
19 Mar	ICN at CSW70: Violence against nurses is a gendered crisis threatening global health The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has warned that violence against nurses is a global gendered crisis that threatens health systems, patient safety and workforce sustainability
17 Mar	Additional winter health care workers a drop in the ocean of need The Government’s announcement today of 378 extra staff to help hospitals cope with winter demand is a drop in the ocean of what patients need, NZNO says.
12 Mar	Funding change will ensure more consistent emergency care for New Zealanders A simple change in how ambulance medicines are funded is set to create more consistent emergency care.
9 Mar	Questions over dilapidated and cramped renal unit forced to ration dialysis The Health Minister must explain why after years of concerns from nurses about Christchurch Hospital’s barely functioning dialysis unit, he only stepped in late yesterday when life-saving treatment had to be rationed, NZNO says.
3 Mar	Hospitals and health workers should never be targets The right of health care workers to provide care during international conflicts must be protected, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says.
2 Mar	Public and Mental Health Nurses settle collective agreement Health New Zealand welcomes the ratification of the two Public Service Association (PSA) Public and Mental Health Nurses collective employment agreements for Auckland and the Rest of New Zealand.
27 Feb	Whakatāne Hospital to resume secondary obstetrics and gynaecology services Whakatāne Hospital will resume secondary obstetrics and gynaecology services from 8am on 13 April 2026.
26 Feb	Counsellors warn NZ is normalising crisis levels of youth distress Youth mental distress has become entrenched, suicide remains a national tragedy, and our systems are failing to intervene early enough, says the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC).
26 Feb	Record uptake nearly doubles advanced nurse education scholarships A record 235 primary care registered nurses will begin advanced education this year – nearly doubling the number originally planned – following strong demand for the Government’s new Registered Nurse Primary Care Scholarships, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
19 Feb	‘Top Up’ to deliver faster access to support Seven grassroots mental health initiatives supporting small and hard-to-reach communities have received funding to deliver faster access to support, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announced today.
18 Feb	Pharmac proposes funding new treatments that could transform early care for people with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, a type of blood cancer People in New Zealand living with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) could soon benefit from funded access to targeted treatments under a new proposal from Pharmac.
13 Feb	Te Whatu Ora’s embarrassing U-turn over proposed car park plan Te Whatu Ora needs to go back to the drawing board and prioritise worker safety after reversing plans to charge hospital workers market rates for car parks, NZNO says.
11 Feb	Stark differences in COVID-19 vaccination rates between Māori and non-Māori, research finds A new study analysing COVID-19 vaccine uptake has found markedly lower vaccination rates among Māori, which researchers link to existing inequities in healthcare access.
9 Feb	ICN’s call for International Nurses Day 2026: empower nurses to save lives ICN has announced the theme for International Nurses Day (IND) 2026: Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives. This focus sends a clear message that to maximize the full life-saving impact of the nursing workforce, we must empower nurses with safe, fair work environments and full nursing practice, influence, and leadership.
5 Feb	Global nurse leaders gather in Japan to address urgent workforce crisis Nursing leaders from Japan and around the world are gathering in Yokohama this week for two major nursing events that are advancing the global conversation on how countries can protect, retain and invest in their nursing workforce as pressures mount across health systems worldwide.
4 Feb	Midwives to deliver more vaccinations to help protect families Midwives are now able to offer a wider range of funded immunisations, supporting families from pregnancy through the early months of a child’s life, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
30 Jan	Opening of E Tū Wairua Hinengaro – Mason Clinic Health New Zealand has marked the opening of E Tū Wairua Hinengaro, a new purpose-built facility at Auckland’s Mason Clinic designed to strengthen and modernise forensic mental healthcare in Aotearoa.
29 Jan	NZNO disgusted by nurse’s killing in the US Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO has expressed disgust at the shooting and killing of nurse Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis, US street on Saturday morning by federal officers.
27 Jan	New national group forms to support public healthcare in Aotearoa Kaitiaki Hauora - Together for Public Health has been formed as a national group bringing together patients, health workers, iwi and Māori health representatives, unions, advocacy organisations, and community groups, with backing from a growing number of organisations across the health sector.
22 Jan	Pharmac proposes to fund life changing treatments for people with cystic fibrosis Pharmac is proposing to fund new treatment options for people living with cystic fibrosis with eligible mutations, including young children, from 1 April 2026.
05 Jan	Nurses pay tribute to Dame Poutasi The passing of Dame Karen Poutasi has seen Aotearoa lose one of its foremost health leaders and a woman of high integrity, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says.