One of Melissa Jacobsen’s greatest moments as a nurse was as part of a team — working with an ED doctor to deliver a breech baby that came out blue, unresponsive.
Ka tere whakamātūtū te pēpi — aoake i te rā ka haere ia ki te kāinga. Engari, mehemea karekau he kimi kaimahi haumaru ka kino rawa kē ngā hua, hei tāna.
The baby revived quickly — even went home the next day. But without safe staffing the outcome might not have been so good, she said.
Ināianei ka whakamahia e te taraketi NZNO i Tauranga ngā taputapu o te kāinga, he auahatanga ngahurutau 70 te āhua, me te porotū nui rawa o ināia tata ake nei kia tohatoha ake i tēnei karere kaimahi hauora puta noa i te pae pāpori.
Now the NZNO delegate based in Tauranga has used household furniture, some slightly 70s-themed ingenuity and the recent mega strikes to spread this staffing message across social media.
Ka hangāia e Jacobsen tētahi whakatairanga toi piripiri e tae rā ano ana ki ngā mata o ōna hoa mahi Te Whatu Ora e 22 kia karangatia te take mō tā rātou porotū.
Jacobsen created a collage poster including the faces of 22 fellow Te Whatu Ora members to tell the story of why they were taking action.
Kāhore he whakatakototanga ahurei tō te whakatairanga, hei tāna — i kitea te āhuatanga i te tīmatanga o te hōtaka nō ngā tau 70, The Brady Bunch.
The poster’s format wasn’t unique, she said — it was even used in the opening credits of the 70s television show The Brady Bunch.
“He āheinga kia whakaatu kāhore tēnei he tangata kotahi anake, he tōpūtanga katoa kē . . . kua whakarōpū ai kia atawhai i ngā tāngata katoa o Aotearoa mai i te tīmatanga ki te mutunga.”
“It’s an opportunity to show it’s not just one person, it’s a whole collection of people . . . who all come together to take care of every person in New Zealand from beginning to end.”
Nō muri i tāna whara i tōna waewae i ngā rā tata mua i te Oketopa 23, ka totitoti Jacobsen ki te māra o te pakanga i te porotū nui mō ngā uniana i te Memorial Park, Tauranga.
After spraining an ankle a couple of days before October 23, Jacobsen limped into action at the multi-union action at Memorial Park, Tauranga.
Kua mōhio ia ki te rahi o ngā taraketi NZNO i te taiopenga, nā reira ka tukuna rātou kia kimi ētahi atu taraketi, mema noki anō i roto i te marea.
She knew there would be plenty of NZNO delegates at the event, so she sent them fanning through the crowd to find other delegates and members.
“Kātahi ka whakatūria tētahi ārai, he ārai tawhito mā, ā, me te tūru kia papatahi ai te noho a ia tangata, ā, ka tere hoputia ngā whakaahua.”
“Then I just put up a drape, an old white curtain that I had, and a chair to keep them at the same level and then very quickly took some photos.”
“He āheinga kia whakaatu kāhore tēnei he tangata kotahi anake, he tōpūtanga katoa kē.”
I hangāia e ia te toi piripiri i taua pō tonu, kātahi ka whakairia ki te pae pāpori.
She constructed the collage that same night then sent the poster out online.
Heoi anō, ka kī Jacobsen ka rata pū mai ia ki ngā wāhanga whakamutunga e rua o te toi piripiri, e kōrero ana mō ngā pukenga me te aroha.
Meanwhile, Jacobsen said she liked the last two panels in the collage in particular, which talk about skill and caring.
“I ako tātou katoa i ngā pukenga o tēnei umanga, engari ka mahia e tātou mō te aroha kē, ā, me te hiahia kia whai i te ara tika mō te hāpori te take.
“We all have learned the skill of doing this, but we do it because we love it and we want to do what’s right for the community.”
Naming names
Na tā Jacobsen atawhai i whai Kaitiaki i ngā ingoa o te nuinga o ngā tāngata i roto i te whakatairanga. Anei ngā ingoa ka whakarārangitia mai i te mauī ki te matau i ia kapa, mai runga i te tīmatanga:
With Jacobsen’s help Kaitiaki was able to get most of the names of the people on the poster. Here are the names, from left to right on each row, starting from the top:
Sophie Short, Georgia Maclean, John Wylie, Lesley Alexander, Zoe Wathey; Amber Marshall, Ned Rago, Neil Orito; Jeff Manuel [third from left on third row], Ashley Allison, Helena Joyce; Sarah Randolph, Maegan Shanley, Janita Tangitu, Sandy Shanly; Melissa Jacobsen [second from left on bottom row], Adele Little [NZNO employee], Sarah Mangino, and Maree Moore.