Opinion – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

March 2026

‘We stayed true’ — NZNO membership committee’s last chair reflects on achievements, challenges

By Anne-Maree Wagg

March 13, 2026

Final chair of the membership committee, Anne-Maree Wagg says it allowed her to grow as a leader and helped members’ voices be heard.

February 2026

The wisdom of health workers — should actual nurses be running Te Whatu Ora?

By Rob Campbell

March 2, 2026

Former Te Whatu Ora chair Rob Campbell walked away from a recent kōrero with NZNO-Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa’s national executive wondering why nurses and kaiāwhina aren’t running the show.

February 2026

‘We are at a turning point’ — NZNO’s Te Whatu Ora bargaining team

By Dawn Barrett

February 12, 2026

‘We now need to know if you want to continue the fight, continue to advocate for our patients and colleagues for enforceable safe staffing.’

February 2026

‘It’s not resilience we’re short of — it’s support’, nursing students reveal

By Stacey Wilson

February 12, 2026

Supporting our nurse students financially and professionally is essential for the future of our nursing workforce, nurse researcher Stacey Wilson explains.

January 2026

‘Fighting for the future of public health’: The personal toll of 16 months of bargaining

By Allister Dietschin

February 4, 2026

After 16 months, 42 meetings and several large strikes, Christchurch health-care assistant, delegate and ‘long-time socialist’ Allister Dietschin says 2024-26 bargaining has felt particularly gruelling.

January 2026

Tackling a taboo: Nurse writes ‘book about vaginas’

By Lynda Lovatt

January 22, 2026

Personal trainer returns to nursing to save ‘one vagina at a time’.

January 2026

‘Long overdue’ milestone coming for ADHD care – and for nurse practitioners

By Sam Hargreaves

January 5, 2026

From February 1, nurse practitioners in Aotearoa will be able to initiate and prescribe stimulant medicines for ADHD, including making funded special authority applications within their area of practice.

January 2026

Why we need a rainbow group at NZNO — and how you can help it grow

By Juno Hunt

December 23, 2025

The rainbow special interest group (SIG) was formed in December 2024 and has six members in its interim committee.

January 2026

ICU nurses: “without redeployment we are happier, healthier and sickness is down”

By Karen McFarlane, Peter Groom, Manorma Prakash, Nimya Jacob

December 22, 2025

Nurses at North Shore Hospital’s intensive care unit say the recent redeployment strike has given them the time to be “on top of the quality stuff”.

January 2026

‘We need more support’ enrolled nurses tell Minister

By Michelle Prattley

December 17, 2025

Enrolled nurses are ready to contribute more — the scope has changed, the need is clear, and the opportunity is now, EN leader Michelle Prattley argues.

January 2026

The forgotten impact of illness, eating and loss

By Linda Christian

December 12, 2025

A nursing lecturer shares her views and experiences of eating-related distress and grief.

December 2025

No more ’embarrassing’ need to consult GPs for basic medications after law change — nurse practitioner

By Natasha Ashworth

December 9, 2025

Nurse practitioners (NPs) finally getting the power to prescribe section 29 unapproved medicines means faster relief for patients — and less embarrassment for nurses, says Gisborne NP Natasha Ashworth.

December 2025

‘One of yours’: Rebuilding a safe and coherent mental health crisis system

By Stacey Wilson

December 9, 2025

Mental health crisis services in Aotearoa have endured a decade of increasing pressure, but the past year has pushed the workforce to a critical tipping point.

January 2026

Rethinking Māori health models: a kōhanga reo generation perspective

By Baxter-Lena Edwards

December 5, 2025

A young Māori nurse questions if the time has come to look beyond Te Whare Tapa Whā and consider more comprehensive Māori health frameworks — such as the Meihana Model.

November 2025

‘The cracks are showing’ — dangerous staffing practices exposed by current strike, says ED nurse

By Rachel Thorn

November 27, 2025

Whangārei Hospital emergency nurse and NZNO delegate Rachel Thorn shares her thoughts on the current work-to-rule strike, as it draws to a close.

November 2025

‘Don’t be handmaidens, be critical thinkers’: Strikes reveal emergency-nursing cracks

By Kelly McDonald

November 19, 2025

Hutt emergency nurse Kelly McDonald starts her next shift at 2.45pm and she’s expecting it to be a “shit show”. This NZNO delegate explains what’s wrong with emergency care, how to fix it, and why nurses should stick to the partial strike plan.

November 2025

Nurses must be digital citizens, users, designers and leaders

By Karen Day and Kate Yeo

November 13, 2025

In this simulated scenario, two digital nursing experts debate with colleagues the opportunities and challenges nurses must take on in the latest digital revolution.

October 2025

‘Nursing is inherently political’ — Ebony Komene on her ‘uncomfortable’ work as a young Māori researcher

By Ebony Komene

October 16, 2025

Young, Māori and a researcher — together, yes, all of these things are unusual, agrees Ebony Komene.

October 2025

‘It’s time for NZ to be a destination, not just a stepping stone’

By Rabikah Begum

October 10, 2025

A migrant nurse who departed for Australia, but then returned, outlines her plan to fix the ‘leaky pipeline’.

October 2025

Mythbusting: NZNO expert tackles Te Whatu Ora’s safe staffing denials

By Mary Longmore

October 10, 2025

Even after Te Whatu Ora was forced to reveal how dangerously understaffed New Zealand’s hospitals are, its leaders seem to still be in denial, NZNO’s safe staffing expert says.

Daily doses – uncut news

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.
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.