Features – Page 2 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

October 2025

Rebecca Fenn: From London to driving a bus and nursing the ‘under-served’ in South Auckland

By Renee Kiriona

October 3, 2025

Rebecca Fenn is New Zealand’s Nurse Practitioner of the Year whose inspiration to care for people came from her fascination with the “smell of hospitals” and “playing nurse dress up” as a child.

September 2025

OBITUARY: Louise Rummel — ‘I was standing on the shoulders of giants in the profession’

By Kathy Stodart

September 19, 2025

Nursing has lost a much-loved educator who was determined that nursing students and new graduates should get the mentoring they needed. Louise Rummel was admired by nursing students for her knowledge, caring and kindness.

September 2025

Pirihira Puata — registered nurse prescriber who sends her scripts to the chemist in te reo Māori

By Joel Maxwell

September 16, 2025

Ka tuhia e te tapuhi tūtohu a Pirihira Puata (Muriwhenua) ngā tūtohu rongoā i te reo Māori, ā, ka tukua ki ngā toa rongoā i te tonga me te uru o Tāmaki Makaurau, ā, ka kīia e ia, ko aua tūtohu e tino arohaina ana.

September 2025

Sarita Sharma: The capital’s face of a fighting nurse

By Renee Kiriona

September 12, 2025

There’s one face that shines through at every single rally, picket and march in Wellington that has anything to do with nurses or health. And that face belongs to Sarita Sharma.

August 2025

She’s aged 87 and still teaches — Grace Benson and her thousands of diamonds

By Joel Maxwell

August 29, 2025

For more than 40 years Grace Benson has lovingly shaped and polished thousands of her ‘diamonds’ — so many you can find them in theatres, practices and clinics around the country.

August 2025

Māori nurse awards bring out the ‘mana in their mahi’

By Renee Kiriona

August 28, 2025

Māori nurses on a journey to advance their clinical practice or develop innovative ways to help Māori communities access and understand their medicines, were recently recognised at the 2025 Te Pātaka Whaioranga (PHARMAC) Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards.

August 2025

‘On days off they went to Hiroshima, picked up fused glass’: The Christchurch nurses swept up in history

By Joel Maxwell

August 28, 2025

They fossicked atomic wastelands, witnessed horrors, but in the end were just everyday nurses trained in Christchurch.

August 2025

ED duo – Mum boss at home, daughter boss at work

By Renee Kiriona

August 22, 2025

Mum is the boss at home but daughter is the boss at work. Bernadette and Melanie Taankink have both worked as nurses at Wellington Hospital’s ED for more than 20 years, yet few colleagues know they are actually whānau.

August 2025

“Proud of them” – more IQNs finding strength to strike

By Renee Kiriona and Joel Maxwell (Co-Editors)

August 7, 2025

In Aotearoa New Zealand, striking has long been acceptable when workers’ rights are under threat. But now NZNO’s internationally qualified nurses are getting in on the act as well — and those that don’t are getting a bad case of FOMO.

August 2025

‘Hell no! Aotearoa is my home’ — graduate told to look overseas

By Renee Kiriona

August 1, 2025

Shayna Tiatia heard the Government’s call for more nurses during the COVID lockdown in 2020. She wanted to help the sick, ill and injured in her community and region. She did the training, got the degree. But now she can’t get a job and has been told to look overseas.

July 2025

Amidst airstrikes, NZNO helps bring nursing knowledge to conflict zone

By Joel Maxwell

July 22, 2025

It’s safe to publish the name of the man speaking from the other side of the world, Thant Zin, because it’s a very common one in Myanmar, we’ve been told.

July 2025

‘We no longer had to stress about kai’

By Renee Kiriona

July 4, 2025

Sophie Beca was doing it tough in her final year of a nursing degree until she won an award that helped her get through.

June 2025

‘The virtual first responder’ — Healthline celebrates 25 years

By Robyn Bern

June 23, 2025

Since it launched 25 years ago, an estimated 3.45 million people have contacted Healthline — which is playing a critical role in improving access to care.

June 2025

Hariata Vercoe: Not a nurse but she’s got their backs

By Renee Kiriona

June 10, 2025

Hariata Vercoe is not a nurse but she has their backs. After 40 years of service to Māori, health and the community, the chief executive officer at Rotorua’s Korowai Aroha Health Centre, and member of the NZ Nursing Council, has joined the New Zealand Order of Merit.

May 2025

Nursing sisters overcome the odds

By Renee Kiriona

June 4, 2025

The Witton sisters have weathered a pandemic, cyclone, poverty, two jobs each and multiple other challenges during their three-year journey to becoming qualified nurses.

May 2025

Military nurses mark 110th anniversary at Hawke’s Bay Hospital Anzac Day service

By Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa Defence Force staff

May 8, 2025

The 110th anniversary of the formation of the New Zealand Defence Force’s Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps (RNZNC) was celebrated at the annual Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital Anzac Day service.

May 2025

Māori health comes alive for nursing students at Te Matatini

By Helen Bingham, Billie-Jean James, Helen Lelean, Tara Malone, Rachel Neild, Trish Sison, & Casey Trownson

May 7, 2025

A health clinic at the Māori performing arts festival, Te Matatini, provided an unconventional but inspirational venue for nursing students’ clinical placements.

May 2025

Dhyanne Hohepa: ‘A light in the dark for Māori nurses’

By Renee Kiriona

May 6, 2025

Dhyanne Hohepa is a leader among Māori nurses driven by aroha and passionate about clinical excellence.

April 2025

‘Tech is good for Māori and Māori is good for tech’: It’s cool to kōrero — April 2025

By Kathy Stodart

April 17, 2025

Auē! Kua wareware i a au taku kupuhipa. — Oh no! I’ve forgotten my password.

April 2025

Theatre nurse pioneer and founder of The Dissector dies

By Michael Esdaile

April 8, 2025

Pamela Marley, a theatre nursing pioneer who helped found the country’s first professional perioperative nursing group, has died.

Daily doses – uncut news

14 May	Lakes and Whanganui nurses still waiting for Holiday Pay a decade on Photo by Fin Ocheduszko-Brown at Whanganui Chronicle Nurses at Lakes and Whanganui districts are calling on Te Whatu Ora to explain why after a decade of redress, they still don’t know when they will receive their full Holiday Act remediation payments, NZNO says.
13 May	Recognising the extraordinary contribution of nurses International Nurses Day is an opportunity to recognise the extraordinary role nurses play in caring for New Zealanders at every stage of life, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
12 May	Government’s decision to scrap fees free scheme will lead to further student exodus The Coalition Government’s decision to scrap the fees free policy for third year tertiary students has left nursing tauira outraged
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.