News – Page 3 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

December 2024

Hundreds of nursing graduates miss out on Te Whatu Ora jobs

By Mary Longmore

November 27, 2024

Te Whatu Ora is being accused of failing in its most basic duty — protecting the future nursing workforce of New Zealand.

December 2024

Minister of Health announces $10 million for 75 senior specialist nurses

By Mary Longmore

November 26, 2024

Sceptical nurses are cautiously welcoming a $10 million investment in 75 senior and specialist nurses to plug gaps in mental health, rural health, maternity and critical care — but say it is a drop in the bucket.

December 2024

‘Some of my friends have died waiting for this payment’ — holiday backpay bittersweet after years of fighting

By Mary Longmore

November 25, 2024

For long-time Hawke’s Bay health-care assistant and NZNO delegate Cath Hellyer, last week’s announcement that — after 14 years — Te Whatu Ora had finally paid out $15.2 million in holiday pay owed to staff was bittersweet.

November 2024

Labour accuses Government of ‘hypocrisy’ as health consultant costs balloon

By Mary Longmore

November 20, 2024

Labour’s health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall is accusing National of “hypocrisy” after revealing Te Whatu Ora’s spending on consultants grew by 18 per cent in the year to mid-2024.

November 2024

‘The call was strong for me as a Māori and as a nurse’: Nurses and kaiāwhina join tens of thousands in hīkoi to Parliament

By Mary Longmore

November 19, 2024

Nurses and kaiāwhina were out on the streets of Pōneke / Wellington today taking part in the hīkoi mō te Tiriti — walk for te Tiriti — to Parliament, in protest over the Treaty Principles Bill.

November 2024

Nurses and kaiāwhina vote to strike before Christmas

By Mary Longmore

November 18, 2024

Unhappy with Te Whatu Ora’s bargaining position, nurses and kaiāwhina have voted strongly to hold an eight-hour nationwide strike on December 3 followed by rolling district strikes.

November 2024

Nurses needed to mahi-march in Pōneke next week

By Renee Kiriona

November 14, 2024

“We are expecting this to be the biggest hīkoi or political demonstration Wellington, and the nation, has ever seen so we want to make sure everyone is safe and we have some nurses there.”

November 2024

More staff needed to meet health targets, say emergency and primary health nurses

By Mary Longmore

November 13, 2024

Nurses say more staff are needed if they are to meet the Government’s health targets.

November 2024

Non-Māori nurses have nothing to fear in joining hīkoi

By Renee Kiriona

November 12, 2024

“To our Pākeha nurses, there’s nothing to fear when you see thousands of Māori marching down the street. Come and join us, you’ll have fun and learn a lot about tangata whenua and our country’s founding document.”

November 2024

‘They ignore the data, they ignore us’ — nurses’ fears over planned safe staffing tool pause

By Mary Longmore

November 12, 2024

Nurses and kaiāwhina fear Te Whatu Ora’s planned pause on safe staffing calculations will put patients at risk.

November 2024

Rally hears voices of whānau under attack by Govt

By Renee Kiriona

November 7, 2024

More than 100 people took part in a Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa NZNO-led rally today at Parliament to oppose the tabling of the Government’s Treaty Principles Bill.

November 2024

Nurse shares mana and shines light on ‘raw realities’

By Renee Kiriona

October 29, 2024

Within minutes of being named the top nurse practitioner of Aotearoa for 2024, Margaret Hand was passing over that mana to her marae and other nurse practitioners in Te Tai Tokerau.

November 2024

First nurse wins emerging researcher award for Māori lung cancer mahi

By Mary Longmore

October 25, 2024

Stella Williams-Terei (Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Ngāpuhi) has become the first nurse to win a prestigious cancer research award for her work to improve care for Māori lung cancer patients.

November 2024

Stopwork nationwide hui pass five fight-back motions

By Renee Kiriona

October 23, 2024

Thousands of workers across the country stopped work today to take part in multiple hui to fight back on what unions are describing as this Government’s relentless attacks on working people.

November 2024

‘The struggle is real’ — nursing students nationwide take to the streets in a call for paid training

By Mary Longmore

October 21, 2024

Nursing students rallied around the country over the weekend in a passionate call for financial support to stem a drop-out rate of one in three.

October 2024

‘Man, it’s a fight’ — nursing students prepare to rally across Aotearoa

By Mary Longmore

October 18, 2024

‘You get through this three years and you’ve fought so hard to get this degree and now we’re fighting to get a job – it’s scary.’

November 2024

Senior nurse leaders face cuts in proposed Te Whatu Ora reshuffle

By Mary Longmore

October 18, 2024

Te Whatu Ora is looking to axe four directors of nursing (DONs) by the end of the year in a blow to senior nursing leadership at the organisation.

November 2024

‘Fearless’ and outspoken or humble and calm — Canterbury nurses dominate NZNO awards

By Mary Longmore

October 15, 2024

Te Wai Pounamu (South Island) nurses dominated the recent awards for services to NZNO–Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa.

October 2024

Kenepuru Hospital: ‘All hell will break loose if he doesn’t keep his word’

By Renee Kiriona

October 14, 2024

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says she will hold Health Minister Shane Reti to his word that the after-hours accident and medical service at Kenepuru Hospital will not be chopped and replaced with a telehealth service.

October 2024

‘Liar, liar’: Nurses confront Prime Minister over Dunedin hospital ‘betrayal’

By Mary Longmore

October 11, 2024

Dunedin Hospital nurses were among dozens of protestors who confronted Prime Minister Christopher Luxon this week, when he made a flying visit to the flood-stricken region.

Uncut – news briefs

27 March	Bar still too high for small mental health providers Small mental health providers will still be locked out of co-funding from the Mental Health Innovation Fund despite a lower threshold.
25 March	ICN advocates for health system gender equity and women’s health The International Council of Nurses (ICN) brought the nursing voice to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) which wrapped up on Friday. ICN participated in critical discussions on gender equity and women’s health throughout the event.
19 March	ICN warns of healthcare crisis as USAID funding cuts devastate nursing initiatives in the world’s most vulnerable regions The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has documented alarming firsthand evidence of widespread disruption and collapse of essential health care services following the sudden withdrawal of USAID and other funding.
19 March	New High Dependency Unit will expand critical care services in Wellington Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened Wellington Regional Hospital’s first High Dependency Unit (HDU).
13 March	Pharmac to fund more cancer medicines Pharmac is funding six more medicines for cancers and one for antibiotic resistant infections.
28 Feb	Pharmac CE resigns The Board of Pharmac wishes to announce that its Chief Executive for the last 7 years, Sarah Fitt, has resigned effective from 30 May 2025.
25 Feb	ICN issues updated statement on health care in conflict, calling for peace and compliance with international humanitarian law In recent years, the world has witnessed a disturbing increase in conflicts and wars, placing immense strain on health systems and exacerbating human suffering. Nurses have been at the forefront of these crises, responding to emergencies, supporting recovery efforts, and providing essential care to those affected by violence and displacement.
21 Feb	ICN’s new guidance on integrating nurse leaders into heart of health workforce planning The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has published a practical guide to including nurses in workforce planning decisions.
17 Feb	ICN warns of effect of US withdrawal from WHO on nurse-led services The International Council of Nurses (ICN) warned that the withdrawal of the United States from WHO has already halted some nurse-led services, including vaccination programmes and care for people with HIV/AIDS.
17 Feb	Minister acknowledges outgoing Director-General Health Minister Simeon Brown has today acknowledged the resignation of Director-General of Health and Chief Executive of the Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Sarfati, and thanked her for her service.
12 Feb	Pharmac funds medicines for liver, ovarian, and neuroendocrine cancers People with liver, ovarian, and neuroendocrine cancers will have access to more medicines from 1 March 2025.
11 Feb	Consultation begins on work to improve patient access to medical devices Pharmac is continuing to improve the way medical devices are managed for New Zealanders, today opening consultation on its comprehensive list of medical devices used by public hospitals.
3 Feb	First Whānau Āwhina Plunket site in NZ delivering childhood vaccinations Childhood immunisations are now being delivered at a Whānau Āwhina Plunket site in Whāngarei, with other regions soon to also provide the new service.
29 Jan	Local access to specialist audiology services comes to Wairarapa A newly established out-patient clinic for ear, nose, and throat (ENT) and audiology appointments is providing Wairarapa patients with local access to specialist hearing services for the first time.
29 Jan	Pharmac reconsiders oestradiol patch options following community feedback Pharmac is reviewing and reconsidering its oestradiol patch options after considerable feedback was received when it announced a move to a single funded brand late last year.
22 Jan	Consultations for cancer and ADHD medicines close soon Pharmac is encouraging people to have their say on proposals to fund six more medicines and change the brand of one medicine before consultation closes on 27 January.
20 Dec	Health NZ introduces public reporting of key primary healthcare measures and PHO performance Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) has introduced public reporting of key primary healthcare measures and Primary Health Organisation (PHO) performance.
19 Dec	Quarter 1 performance report released Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora has today published its Quarterly Performance Report for Quarter 1, covering the period 1 July to 30 September 2024.
18 Dec	Recent uptick in Boostrix immunisations amid whooping cough epidemic, but work still to do As the healthcare sector continues to respond to a whooping cough (pertussis) epidemic across the motu, it’s promising to see a recent uptick in the number of Boostrix immunisations among the 15- to 44-year-old age group, with a recent doubling of doses administered from about 1,000 per week to over 2,000 per week.
18 Dec	Extra security to again keep EDs safe this summer Health Minister Dr Shane Reti is again reminding New Zealanders that violence against patients, visitors and health workers won’t be tolerated, with additional security for hospital emergency departments across the country this summer.
13 Dec	Mental health and addiction targets implementation plans released Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora has today published its first quarterly results for four of the five mental health and addiction targets, covering the period 1 July – 30 September 2024.
12 Dec	Health targets encouraging – work continues New data shows that the Government’s focus on health targets is putting the brakes on the steep decline in delivery seen over the past five years.
12 Dec	Gisborne receives mental health beds boost Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey today opened Gisborne Hospital’s new acute mental health unit, Te Whare Awhi Ora, and says the region will be better served by a bigger, more therapeutic acute mental health unit.
9 Dec	Afghan women ‘banned from nursing and midwife training’ in latest blow to rights BBC News has reported that female nursing and midwifery students in Afghanistan have been told not to return to their studies, effectively ending women’s only access to further education, and putting women and children’s lives at risk.
9 Dec	How student and early career nurses can influence policymaking The International Council of Nurses (ICN) held a webinar which highlighted the vital importance of primary and preventative health care in meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) challenging goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030
3 Dec	Health NZ end-of-year deficit confirmed In publishing its annual report, Health NZ has confirmed it ended the financial year with a deficit of $722 million, against a target surplus of $54 million.
2 Dec	ICN says COP29 climate finance shortfall threatens the planet’s health The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has expressed profound disappointment with the outcomes of COP29, held in Baku, particularly the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance that was passed despite significant objections from developing countries.
29 Nov	Minister reminds public health officials of priorities Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti says the National Public Health Service should concentrate its focus on prioritising serious public health issues facing New Zealanders.
29 Nov	Community providers rally to protect hapū māma and pēpi as national whooping cough case numbers surpass 1,000 for 2024 Hapū māmā are being urged to get immunised, and parents and caregivers are encouraged to get their babies immunised on time, as whooping cough case numbers continue to climb across Aotearoa New Zealand.
28 Nov	Govt ignores health crisis, plans to axe 1500 public health roles The health of New Zealanders will suffer because of the Government’s plan to axe nearly 1500 roles at Te Whatu Ora, coming at a time when the public health system is already under severe pressure.
27 Nov	Health New Zealand Establishes Technical Advisory Group to Lead Transformation in Maternity Care This team of experts and community representatives will play a key role in the development of the Maternity Commissioning Framework, a core element of the wider Kahu Taurima programme, which aims to make maternity and early years services more equitable, accessible, and whānau-centered.
22 Nov	Whooping Cough epidemic declared across Aotearoa New Zealand Health agencies have confirmed today that Aotearoa New Zealand is now in the early stages of a Whooping Cough epidemic, with a nationally coordinated response now in place.
20 Nov	A Global Map of Winter Depression Healthnews has released an extensive study that ranks 194 countries based on their winter-pattern Seasonal Depression Disorder (SAD) risk.
18 Nov	Potential travel disruption expected with Tuesday’s national Hīkoi Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora urges those with an appointment scheduled at Wellington Regional Hospital on Tuesday morning or early afternoon, to please allow extra time to get to appointments.
15 Nov	ICN’s calls on G20 leaders to address international health worker migration crisis Ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro next week, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) welcomes the Declarations recently adopted by the G20 Health Working Group and health ministers.
13 Nov	Measles case confirmed in Tāmaki Makaurau Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora has confirmed today that a new case of measles has been identified on Waiheke Island in Auckland. The case and their household are being supported by the National Public Health Service (NPHS), with those most at risk now in quarantine to help reduce the chance of further spread.
5 Nov	Safety fears ahead of changes to mental health 111 calls Mental Health Nurses have serious concerns about the safety of their patients, the public, their colleagues and themselves when police changes to emergency 111 calls come into effect on Monday, New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa says.