News – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

March 2026

Purple passion — a week of health-care workers showing their true colours

By Joel Maxwell

March 13, 2026

So much purple, so little time.

March 2026

‘We are not going to stop until we get it back’ — women, unions vow to fight for pay equity

By Mary Longmore

March 10, 2026

The message was short, sharp and defiant.

‘We are not going to stop until we get it back’ — women, unions vow to fight for pay equity

March 2026

Purple reigns — nurses show true colours for pay equity around motu

By Mary Longmore and Joel Maxwell

March 6, 2026

Puzzled passers-by were seeing purple, but some of the nurses were seeing red — it was International Women’s Day again, and pay equity was still on the agenda.

March 2026

Cut-down cupcakes, cute dinosaurs . . . nurses and kaiāwhina get creative for pay equity’s go purple day

By Mary Longmore

March 5, 2026

As nurses and kaiāwhina everywhere prepare to purple up for pay equity tomorrow in the run-up to International Women’s Day, we bring you some eye-grabbing inspiration from around the motu.

February 2026

Breast cancer bus hits the deep South to boost Māori, Pacific and rural screening rates

By Kaitiaki coeditors

February 27, 2026

Southland primary network WellSouth says “more work needs to be done” to tackle breast cancer inequities for Māori and Pacific communities in the deep South.

February 2026

‘Doing it tough’ — Far North iwi providers struggle in political current

By Mary Longmore

February 27, 2026

Iwi health providers showing up at Waitangi say Far North communities are struggling more than ever to access health care.

February 2026

‘Don’t be defeated, that’s what they want’: Government blasted at pay equity report launch

By Joel Maxwell

February 26, 2026

It’s easy to overlook personal distress when you’re talking about billions of dollars — but palliative care nurse Fiona McDougal simply felt gutted when she heard the news.

February 2026

‘We are scared for our residents and ourselves’: Nurses pivot to paper after system hack

By Joel Maxwell

February 25, 2026

Nurses are scrambling to rebuild medication charts on paper while others worry for patient safety after the MediMap hack.

February 2026

Business lobbyists, code names and Treaty breaches: People’s voice damning on pay equity

By Joel Maxwell

February 24, 2026

New light has been shed on the lengths the Government went to keep law changes gutting pay equity claims a secret — including an awkward meeting for the Health Minister.

February 2026

Te Whatu Ora bargaining team returns to table with strong member backing

By Joel Maxwell

February 18, 2026

The question was asked, and the answer was simple. Keep going.

February 2026

Enrolled nurses ‘gutted’ over Minister’s bonding scheme promises

By Mary Longmore

February 18, 2026

Enrolled nurses say they are “shocked” and disappointed that they have not been restored to Te Whatu Ora’s voluntary bonding scheme — despite assurances from the Minister of Health that they would be.

February 2026

EXCLUSIVE: Mental health worker strangled by patient — Minister calls it ‘misinformation’

By Joel Maxwell

February 18, 2026

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has rubbished workers’ experiences of violence as “continuously disappointing” while defending an unpopular police policy affecting nurses.

February 2026

Givealittle page set up for nursing whānau of Max Furse-Kee after landslide tragedy

By Joel Maxwell

February 11, 2026

In the worst of times, nurses are there to help. Now they can help one of their own.

February 2026

‘We carry our whānau with us’: Nurses make first trip to Waitangi grounds

By Joel Maxwell

February 9, 2026

They had come from the furthest distances to get there, but this just made its mauri and its mana that much more special.

February 2026

Dawn arises, Seymour told to sit down — one final backlash at Waitangi

By Joel Maxwell

February 6, 2026

As election year kicks off, Kaitiaki heads to Waitangi — covering our members, leaders and politicians, in what is shaping up to be a consequential decision for health.

February 2026

Don’t mention their family tree: PM Luxon’s Waitangi comments slammed

By Joel Maxwell and Mary Longmore

February 5, 2026

As election year kicks off, Kaitiaki heads to Waitangi — covering our members, leaders and politicians, in what is shaping up to be a consequential decision for health.

February 2026

Te Poari, kaiwhakahaere at Waitangi grounds for pōhiri to greet Māori queen

By Joel Maxwell and Mary Longmore

February 4, 2026

As election year kicks off, Kaitiaki heads to Waitangi — covering our members, leaders and politicians, in what is shaping up to be a consequential decision for health.

January 2026

‘We are prepared to go hard, if that’s what members want’ — frustrated bargaining team back at the table

By Mary Longmore

January 30, 2026

‘Day 42, enough said!’ These are the words of NZNO’s hard-working bargaining team, wrangling jobs and Te Whatu Ora since late 2024.

January 2026

Charlie and Penny: Two dogs looking out for their whānau

By Melissa Jacobsen

January 20, 2026

In a Kaitiaki summer feature we’re sharing our readers’ amazing pets – answering the age old question of what makes the perfect animal companion to the busy health professional.

January 2026

Not-so merry Christmas: Bites, bruises, threats for ED nurses over holidays

By Joel Maxwell

January 14, 2026

Emergency departments saw bites, bruises and dislocations over the holidays — and that wasn’t even in the patients.

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.
12 Dec	Holidays Act remediation payments update As of 12 December 2025, more than 83,000 current employees (representing nearly 93% of the current workforce) have been paid over $657m holidays act remediation payments for their current role.
8 Dec	Expanding access to everyday medicines Registered nurse prescribers can now prescribe nearly double the number of medicines, significantly expanding access to timely, local care for New Zealanders, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
1 Dec	Govt breaking promise to local communities Labour’s new Family Doctor Loan Scheme will support doctors and nurse practitioners with low-interest loans to set up new practices or buy into existing ones.