NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter said the kaiāwhina national committee is now an official group within the union, representing about 5671 members from all sectors, including aged residential care, Corrections, primary health, Māori and iwi providers, Pacific health, Te Whatu Ora and hospice.
The co-chairs are Mihara Taihakoa-Richards and Natasha Greig — both based in Hawke’s Bay and who bring decades of experience of working as kaiāwhina.
‘We want to be the voice for kaiāwhina nationwide to advocate for and fight for the things they believe are true and right.’
Taihakoa-Richards said the committee became a reality because there simply wasn’t a representative voice for kaiāwhina.
“We want to . . . fight for the things they believe are true and right. And also, to look at professional development opportunities for kaiāwhina and the development of ethical practice standards.”
Taihakoa-Richards said she respected the support from nurses and midwives for kaiāwhina to create their very own spot within NZNO.
“We will still stand with our nurses and midwives, just like they have with us.”
Greig, who works in aged care, said there were many issues facing kaiāwhina and the committee would meet regularly to work through them.
“Pay equity, burn-out due to understaffing, bullying from senior staff, regular missed breaks and no career pathways, are the major issues facing kaiāwhina right now,” Greig said.
The committee met for the first time last week to establish its terms of reference, objectives and brainstorm goals for the coming year, which will be presented to NZNO’s new national executive.
It follows in the footsteps of the interim HCA leadership group set up last year, including Taihakoa-Richards, with a core committee of about 10 across sectors.