Letters – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

May 2026

Out-of-date laws, red flags and STI home-testing — NZ regulations too lax

By Janine Falkiner

April 20, 2026

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.

May 2026

Join our nationwide survey on Tiriti-based organisational journeys

By Heather Came, Clive Aspin and Julio Pereira

April 13, 2026

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.

April 2026

No fee increase for NZNO membership in 2026

By Paul Goulter

March 31, 2026

We know times are tough financially for everyone and recognising this, the NZNO joint hui — the national executive and Te Poari — has worked hard to ensure no increase to your fees for 2026.

April 2026

Join together — a night of iconic Kiwi music

By Philip Thet Paing Htoo

March 27, 2026

Join us for an unforgettable evening which brings together generations of Aotearoa’s finest songwriters and musicians — performing timeless classics to boundary-pushing new sounds.

April 2026

Upcoming digital leadership workshop features a nurse-designed patient tool

By Rebecca McBeth

March 4, 2026

From IT to digital and AI in health, an upcoming leadership workshop for health providers features a remote patient monitoring tool designed with the help of nurses.

February 2026

‘End of an era’ — reunion for Palmerston North Hospital’s final nursing class of ’86

By Wendy Maddock

February 27, 2026

Palmerston North Hospital’s last cohort of hospital-trained registered nurses graduated in May 1986 and are having a reunion this May. Were you there? Even if you didn’t complete your training?

March 2026

Intensive care nurses sought for research on quality improvement programmes

By Katrina Burns

February 16, 2026

Wellington nurse researcher seeks current Auckland or Christchurch ICU nurses for research on quality improvement programmes.

April 2026

Shift choice and flexible scheduling: Impact on nurse fatigue and retention in New Zealand public hospitals

By Adetoun Oyekunle

February 16, 2026

Are you a registered nurse in a New Zealand public hospital working in a shift-based role?

February 2026

‘We should be free to worry about grades, not jobs’ — student nurse on hiring fears

By Hannah Watson

January 26, 2026

Nurses’ work is irreplaceable, says University of Auckland nursing student Hannah Watson — but why then are her cohort worrying about their future in the profession?

January 2026

50 years of publishing and loss of beloved nurse leader in latest edition of perioperative journal ‘The Dissector’

By Michael Esdaile and Bron Taylor

January 15, 2026

Welcome to the latest edition of The Dissector — the quarterly journal of NZNO’s perioperative nurses college.

December 2025

What does your pet mean to you?

By Kaitiaki coeditors

December 5, 2025

It’s been a tough year but a couple of gnarly questions remain unanswered for NZNO members: What is the best pet for the modern health professional? And do you own it?

November 2025

NZNO research and news journals now online and open to all — bringing unique NZ focus

By Kaitiaki coeditors

November 25, 2025

Nurses, health professionals and others interested in the latest nursing research can now access the Kaitiaki Nursing Research journal free and online.

November 2025

‘This isn’t just a job, it is heartbreak on repeat’

By Latisha Coffey

October 31, 2025

Wellington nurse Latisha Coffey has her own insight into why nurses have been on strike.

November 2025

Whitireia’s 2025 journal of nursing out now

By Catherine Fuller and Lee Smith

October 17, 2025

The latest edition of the Whitireia Journal of Nursing, Health and Social Services will be released on October 30.

October 2025

Message to the health minister: I’m one of those unemployed graduate nurses who can’t follow my dream

By (Name withheld*)

September 26, 2025

Three years ago, I began studying to become a registered nurse (RN) to create a better future for my children and myself.

October 2025

A wonderful opportunity for advanced stomal therapy education

By Emma Ludlow

September 12, 2025

Stomal therapy nurses may have an opportunity to take an advanced education course in their specialty, that is usually only available via an expensive trip to Australia.

August 2025

‘I felt extremely proud to walk alongside the nurses’

By Joan Oxlee

August 6, 2025

I felt extremely privileged and proud to walk alongside the nurses and the three students from Takapuna Girls High who were there supporting the strike.

August 2025

2025 New Zealand Nurses Organisation Elections — Notice of Confirmed Candidates

By Warwick Lampp

July 25, 2025

Nominations for the 2025 New Zealand Nurses Organisation elections closed at 12 noon, Friday 18 July 2025.

August 2025

Nurse sought for role with Māori/Polynesian family – one child, one whānau, one purpose

By Bradley (last name withheld by request)

July 24, 2025

We are a loving and dedicated Māori/Polynesian family based on the Gold Coast, seeking a compassionate and skilled registered or enrolled nurse — preferably with paediatric experience — to join the close-knit team who care for our child.

July 2025

Employers’ disregard for safety pushes nurse out of the profession

By (name withheld by agreement)

July 11, 2025

Firstly I would like to express my gratitude and say how much I value the commitment NZNO has been putting into fighting not only for equal / fair pay but also safe staffing and conditions.

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.