Features – Page 4 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

November 2024

Neonatal nurses’ life-changing trip to Samoa brings bigger whānau focus back home

By Mary Longmore

October 8, 2024

When Hawke’s Bay neonatal nurses Nina Lomas and Dianne O’Connor went to Western Samoa to train local nurses in the latest neonatal care earlier this year, they ended up learning a few new tricks themselves.

October 2024

Retiring telehealth nurse reflects on 19 years at the end of the line

By Robyn Bern

October 8, 2024

Whakarongorau nurse Lynley Meek is finally hanging up her headphones after 19 years.

October 2024

It’s cool to kōrero — Sept 2024

By Kathy Stodart

September 12, 2024

He whero tāku waka hou. — My car is red.

September 2024

New nurse practitioner chair wants to see NP numbers grow ‘like ivy’

By Mary Longmore

September 10, 2024

New chair of Nurse Practitioners NZ Chelsea Wilmott predicts NP numbers will soon double — but warns nurses can be their own worst enemy.

September 2024

Kiwi nurses help transform lives through Mercy Ships’ surgical care

By Fiona Hunt-Baker

August 30, 2024

Kiwi nurses who volunteer aboard Mercy Ships’ floating hospitals at African ports, come back home with their passion for nursing invigorated.

September 2024

Bringing te ao Māori into private surgical care

By Kathy Stodart

August 22, 2024

A Māori nursing leader at Southern Cross Healthcare is bringing te ao Māori into the world of private surgical care, and is using his own research to back up this work.

August 2024

Former army medic recalls distressing memories, with return to Timor-Leste

By Andrew Macdonald

July 31, 2024

A Canterbury nurse who served as an army medic in the East Timor crisis, has just visited the now-independent Timor-Leste with her old comrades. She has distressing memories of the brutality of that conflict.

August 2024

Nurse specialist wants to help other nurses caring for rare cancer patients

By Liana Meredith

July 29, 2024

An Auckland nurse specialist describes her work with patients who have neuroendocrine cancer, after returning from an international conference on the rare and often slow-moving disease.

July 2024

It’s cool to kōrero — June 2024

By Kathy Stodart

June 25, 2024

Puku — belly, stomach

June 2024

It’s cool to kōrero — May 2024

By Kathy Stodart

May 28, 2024

Kanohi — face, eyesight

June 2024

Hardworking Solomons nurses tackle rising tide of diabetes

By Katie Croom

May 2, 2024

A large array of challenges face the hardworking diabetes nurses in the Solomon Islands, as they strive to deliver care amid a growing diabetes crisis.

May 2024

It’s cool to kōrero — April 2024

By Kathy Stodart

April 24, 2024

Ringa — hand

April 2024

It’s cool to kōrero — March 2024

By Kathy Stodart

March 28, 2024

Upoko: head

May 2024

Innovative Marlborough practice, Manu Ora, proud to be recognised in business awards

By Tania Gregory and Ann McAslan

March 26, 2024

Staff at Manu Ora, a small innovative Blenheim primary health care practice, were thrilled to receive three awards at the recent Marlborough Chamber of Commerce business awards.

March 2024

It’s cool to kōrero — February 2024

By Kathy Stodart

February 29, 2024

Waewae — feet.

February 2024

It’s cool to kōrero — January 2024

By Kathy Stodart

January 12, 2024

Hipi — sheep

February 2024

Isabelle Sherrard — an education journey

By Kathy Stodart

December 20, 2023

As New Zealand marks 50 years since nurse training moved out of hospitals and became a tertiary qualification, Kaitiaki looks back at the massive changes in nursing education through the eyes of former nursing school head Isabelle Sherrard.

December 2023

It’s cool to kōrero — November 2023

By Kathy Stodart

November 23, 2023

Ngeru — cat

December 2023

Frenemies to friends? As nurses fear being edged from their profession, caregivers are demanding more respect

By Mary Longmore

November 17, 2023

Nurses are feeling under threat from less qualified workers — while kaiāwhina are demanding clarity and respect for their role, leading to a challenging kōrero for NZNO-Tōpūtanga Tapuhi o Kaitiaki Aotearoa and the wider health system.

November 2023

It’s cool to kōrero — October 2023

By Kathy Stodart

October 26, 2023

Kurī — dog.

11 Aug	Applications open for advanced nursing education programmes Health New Zealand is encouraging registered nurses to apply for two advanced education programmes that support nurses to further develop their clinical skills and expand access to care in communities across New Zealand.
3 Aug	Health New Zealand welcomes settlement of NZRDA collective agreement Health New Zealand welcomes the vote by New Zealand Resident Doctors Association (NZRDA) members to settle their collective agreement.
30 Jul	Backing our frontline rural health workforce Rural communities across New Zealand will benefit from three new investments that will support the rural health workforce and help more people access care closer to home, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says.
22 Jul	Te Whatu Ora must disclose staffing levels at time of tragic death Te Whatu Ora must disclose whether the Waikato emergency department (ED) was short-staffed at the time a man tragically died in the waiting room, NZNO says.
6 Jul	Reflecting on IND 2026 Looking back on last month’s International Nurses Day 12 May 2026 (IND 2026), the impact of this year's theme "Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives" continues to resonate across the world. ICN’s landmark IND 2026 report defined seven key powers of nursing and this message has been strengthened with nurses in every region celebrating, naming, and owning their powers throughout May.
3 Jul	Health New Zealand acknowledges Ombudsman statement on Wakari Ward 10A Health NZ welcomes the independent investigation by the Ministry of Health into Ward 10A. On Wednesday the Health NZ board agreed to close Wakari Ward 10a as a forensic intellectual disability (ID) unit, with the future use of the ward yet to be determined.
2 Jul	New programme to fast track bowel cancer care and cut colonoscopy waitlists Health New Zealand is today launching a national initiative, designed to fast track bowel cancer care and reduce colonoscopy waitlists by up to 30 per cent.
1 Jul	Six new Co-Response Team locations announced to strengthen support for people in mental distress The next six locations for Health New Zealand and NZ Police Co-Response Teams have been confirmed, expanding a model that helps people experiencing mental distress receive timely, wraparound support that better meets their health needs.
29 Jun	Mental health and addiction targets progress continues Health New Zealand continues to make important progress against its mental health and addiction targets, meeting four out of five national targets this quarter.
25 Jun	Access to care continuing to improve across a range of health indicators New health data released today shows continued improvement in access to care across a range of health indicators.
18 Jun	Funding "boost" continues dangerous under-funding of aged care The Health Minister’s funding "boost" for aged residential care continues underfunding to the sector and will continue unsafe practices and short staffing, which is putting vulnerable residents at risk, NZNO says.
16 Jun	Labour to make maternity scans free Labour will add free maternity scans to the Medicard alongside three free doctor’s visits a year, so every pregnant woman gets the care she needs.
29 May	WellSouth Statement on Budget 2026: a missed opportunity Budget 2026 is a missed opportunity for primary care, and for the communities that depend on it most, in particular our rural people and practices.
29 May	Updated - Nurses on front lines of Ebola outbreak at serious risk In response to the gravely concerning and escalating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) warns that nurses and other frontline health workers are being put at serious risk and left fearful for their safety.
27 May	Health NZ committed to safeguarding patient information Health New Zealand welcomes the reports released today into the Manage My Health (MMH) cyber incident and is committed to ensuring all possible steps are taken to safeguard patient information.
22 May	More New Zealanders could benefit from funded vaccines from 2027 Pharmac is proposing changes that would give more New Zealanders access to funded vaccines from 2027, including expanded access to the flu vaccine for young children.
21 May	It’s not just the wallet: How the gender pay gap can hurt women’s bodies While many aspects of New Zealand’s enduring gender pay gap have been discussed, its physical impact on workers has been largely overlooked – until now.
21 May	Bupa nurses take pay equity claim over historic wage discrimination NZNO nurses working at Bupa aged residential care homes throughout Aotearoa New Zealand have raised a pay equity claim to address historic gender-based wage discrimination.
20 May	Waikato Hospital adds 10 forensic mental health beds Ten new forensic inpatient beds have been made available at the Regional Forensic Psychiatric Service at Waikato Hospital to expand forensic mental health capacity for adults in prison or on remand in Health New Zealand’s Midland region.
18 May	Strong gains in two-year immunisation target for Tamariki Māori Health New Zealand is welcoming a significant increase in Māori immunisation rates, with full immunisation at 24 months rising from just over 60 per cent in late 2024 to 71.5 per cent at the end of last month.
15 May	New global report shows empowering nurses is key to saving lives and strengthening health systems As the world marks International Nurses Day, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) is calling for urgent investment in nursing, supported by a major new global report, Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives, that presents seven key nursing powers.
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.