News – Page 9 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

March 2023

National anti-racism plan by the end of 2024

By Cate Macintosh

February 23, 2023

A national anti-racism action plan will be in place by the end of 2024, but doubts remain among some nurses about how effective it will be.

March 2023

Health and nursing workforce ‘top priority’, says new Health Minister Ayesha Verrall

By Mary Longmore

February 21, 2023

‘It’s not rocket science, is it?’ New Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall says fixing the nurse workforce will lift pressures on waiting lists, hospitals and aged care.

Site restoration

By Andrew Empson

February 21, 2023

Thames Hospital staffing hit by cyclone road closures

By Cate Macintosh

February 17, 2023

Coromandel nurses who live on the east coast of the peninsula face an uncertain working future as Cyclone Gabrielle has wreaked havoc on the roads they travel to Thames Hospital.

March 2023

Kaiwhakahaere among nurses forced to abandon flooded homes in cyclone

By Cate Macintosh and Mary Longmore

February 15, 2023

NZNO members are facing devastation and uncertainty as Cyclone Gabrielle continues its onslaught, with some left temporarily homeless and others stranded in regions without power and road access.

March 2023

‘We did it for awhi’ — nurses kick into action amid catastrophic floods

By Mary Longmore

February 9, 2023

Delivering kai, nappies and making home visits — nurses deliver wraparound care to flood-stricken Auckland communities.

March 2023

Pay parity, pay equity for nurses: biggest challenges for new minister of health

By co-editors Cate Macintosh and Mary Longmore

January 31, 2023

NZNO leadership has praised new Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall for her “genuine approach”, while urging her to take swift action on pay parity – and outgoing Minister Andrew Little was thanked for “keeping door open and the conversation going”.

March 2023

‘I feel like s…’ — vote for three per cent wage relief leaves sour taste

By Cate Macintosh

January 27, 2023

Desperate Whānau Āwhina Plunket members have voted to accept a three per cent lift in pay which they previously rejected, to stave off further financial hardship. They are now putting their hope in a pay parity top up which the Minister of Health has committed to.

February 2023

Just one doctor at Thames Hospital – ‘a huge risk’

By Cate Macintosh

January 24, 2023

Thames Hospital ED normally has three day shifts for doctors, but recently this dropped to just one – a situation which left patients and staff vulnerable to serious adverse events, NZNO members say.*

February 2023

Report shows funding gap of nine per cent for general practices

By Cate Macintosh

December 23, 2022

As primary health care nurses grit their teeth to hold out for a better pay deal in the new year, a report commissioned by the interim health transition unit shows their employers are woefully underfunded.

February 2023

Black Ferns take time out from celebrations to tautoko nurses

By Mary Longmore

December 23, 2022

World Cup Rugby winners, the Black Ferns, took time out from their public celebrations to champion the cause of nurses in Wellington this month.

January 2023

‘This is my way of giving back to nursing’ – union powerhouse starts role at NZNO

By Cate Macintosh

December 22, 2022

Karene Walton, NZNO’s recently appointed director of organising, says there’s never been a better, or more important, time for NZNO members to take collective action.

February 2023

New Zealand ‘preferred destination’ for overseas nurses after visa changes

By Mary Longmore

December 22, 2022

Migrant nurses are welcoming the Government’s move to put them on the straight-to-residency visa – but say they should have been included from the start.

January 2023

Interim pay equity lift brings celebration, relief and disbelief

By Cate Macintosh

December 16, 2022

Nurses employed by Te Whatu Ora are welcoming a lift to their pay rates as an interim measure to recognise gender-pay discrimination — but many remain sceptical.

February 2023

Strength ‘tinged with sadness’ — Lesley Elliott remembered by nursing colleagues

By Mary Longmore

December 13, 2022

Kind, caring – and incredibly strong. That is how colleagues from the close-knit neonatal intensive care (NICU) at Dunedin Hospital remember Lesley Elliott.

December 2022

Pay equity battle: ‘There are people in need at the end of this process’

By Cate Macintosh

December 8, 2022

Australian union lawyer and researcher Lisa Heap is lending her experience in the battle for pay equity, alongside employment lawyer Peter Cranney. Heap spoke to Kaitiaki about her trans-Tasman work to achieve pay justice for caring professions.

January 2023

‘I just wouldn’t let them rattle me’ – NZNO wins three-year battle over public holiday pay

By Cate Macintosh

December 7, 2022

After a three-and-a-half-year battle, including a grilling on the witness stand, delegate and hospice nurse Rachel Clarke is thrilled to the Employment Court found she and her colleagues at Arohanui Hospice Palmerston North, were entitled to be paid for public holidays not worked.

January 2023

Long-time NZNO flight nurse chair recognised with double awards

By Mary Longmore

November 29, 2022

Long-time NZNO flight nurse leader Toni Johnston was “blindsided” by a double-award whammy after stepping down as College of Air and Surface Transport Nurses (COASTN) chair after seven years.

January 2023

New online learning series on consumer rights will ‘strengthen patient relationship’ — HDC

By Mary Longmore

November 28, 2022

New online learning modules to support health professionals’ working knowledge and understanding of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights have been launched.

December 2022

Pay parity for aged care and iwi nurses ‘a step in the right direction’

By Mary Longmore

November 28, 2022

NZNO aged care and iwi nurses are welcoming a $200 million annual cash injection which will bring pay parity with Te Whatu Ora nurses — but NZNO says practice nurses must be included.

Uncut – news briefs

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.
31 Oct	General practices welcome fast-track approvals process A new fast-track approval process is a good start, but more is needed to fix New Zealand’s chronic GP shortage, says the General Practice Owners Association (GenPro)
24 Oct	International Council of Nurses Bucharest Declaration priorities for the future of nursing The International Council of Nurses (ICN) marked the 125 years since its founding in 1899 with an anniversary conference held in Bucharest, Romania and hosted by the Order of Nurses, Midwives, and Medical Assistants of Romania.
10 Oct	Call to immunise now as New Zealand at high risk of whooping cough outbreak Pregnant people, babies, children and others at high risk from whooping cough are urged to get vaccinated as soon as possible, as Aotearoa New Zealand stands at high risk of an outbreak.
9 Oct	New pilot with Plunket to deliver childhood immunisations To increase access and boost immunisation rates, Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora and Whānau Āwhina Plunket will pilot the delivery of childhood immunisations at a select number of sites across the country.
8 Oct	Health NZ Begins Development of National Perinatal Bereavement Care Pathway As Baby Loss Awareness Week shines a light on the heartbreak faced by many, Health NZ is taking a compassionate and hopeful step forward in transforming the support available for whānau who experience the loss of a baby.
7 Oct	Govt takes the scalpel to regional health budgets At Labour’s insistence, Te Whatu Ora financial documents have been released by the Health Select Committee today showing more cuts are on the way for our health system.
2 Oct	Orion Health and Streamliners form strategic partnership Orion Health, a global leader in digital health solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Streamliners, creators of HealthPathways which provides an online manual used to assist with clinical assessments.
1 Oct	Rollout of new medicines across New Zealand begins Today marks the first day a range of new medicines, including cancer medicines, will start to become available in hospitals and health centres across the country.
27 Sept	New Dunedin hospital: Southerners deserve better The Government’s announcement today that it will scale back the new Dunedin hospital will negatively impact patient care, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki O Aotearoa says.
26 Sept	Govt not addressing health workforce crisis The National Government is hiding the gaps in the health workforce from New Zealanders, by not producing a full workforce plan nearly a year into their tenure.
25 Sept	New programme offers step up for jobseekers seeking a career in health and wellbeing Local jobseekers have an exciting new opportunity to begin a career in Health following the launch of a new community-based kaiāwhina programme in the Hutt Valley.
23 Sept	Ministers oblivious to cuts’ effect on families The National Government is oblivious to the impact cuts to services will have on New Zealanders who are doing the hard yards caring for mentally ill family members.
19 Sept	Wānaka community to benefit from new overnight health service Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says an Overnight Acute Care Service opening in October will provide people in Wānaka and the surrounding area with the assurance of quality overnight care closer to home.
17 Sept	Dr Le Heron takes title of 2024 Alzheimers NZ Fellow Distinguished neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist, Dr Campbell Le Heron, has been made the 2024 Alzheimers NZ Fellow for his work researching and managing cognitive disorders.
11 Sept	Aged care will be worse off if redesign rushed New Zealanders needing aged care support and the people who care for them will be worse off if the Government pushes through a flawed and rushed redesign of dementia and aged care.
11 Sept	Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today.
10 Sept	ICN launches new position statement and discussion paper setting out a revolution in the delivery of Primary Health Care The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is launching its new position statement and a discussion paper on Primary Health Care (PHC) at its Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nursing Network (NP/APN Network) Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland.
9 Sept	First cancer medicine decision following Pharmac funding boost Pharmac has decided to widen access to two medicines for several types of cancer. Pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda) will be funded from 1 October 2024 for eligible people with advanced triple-negative breast cancer, head and neck cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, and Hodgkin lymphoma. Nivolumab (branded as Opdivo) will be funded from 1 November for eligible people with kidney cancer.
6 Sept	Health agencies working with Police on rebalancing roles for mental health responses Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora and the Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora are working with Police to change some of the ways agencies respond to mental health. The change will see an increased health-led response, supporting Police to focus on core Policing.
4 Sept	Nurses’ bargaining starts with action for safe staffing Nurses are kicking off their collective bargaining with Te Whatu Ora by taking action for safe staffing on Friday, New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says.