Opinion – Page 3 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

September 2022

Plunket nurses ‘stunned’ at zero per cent pay rise offer

By Hannah Cook

August 16, 2022

Whānau Āwhina Plunket nurses seeking pay parity with Te Whatu Ora nurses say a zero per cent pay offer is “demoralising”.

September 2022

Witch hunts and perfect storms — why nurses attack their own leaders

By Liz Manning and Wendy Blair

August 10, 2022

“Oppressed group behaviour” may explain why some nurses promoted to leadership positions find themselves undermined by former colleagues.

September 2022

What you can do about unsafe staffing on your ward

By Ben Basevi

August 10, 2022

NZNO members went on strike last year and won — alongside pay increases — an agreement that employers return to safe staffing levels.

September 2022

The struggles facing student nurses in today’s world

By Manu Reiri

July 26, 2022

Resilience is key as inflation heaps pressure on ‘beautiful’ but stretched nursing students

September 2022

Sitting at the top table — he karanga ki ngā tapuhi Māori

By Pipi Barton

July 20, 2022

Māori nurse, lecturer and researcher puts out a call for more Māori nurses to join roopu on growing the Māori nursing workforce.

October 2022

The reality of ED — ‘noisy, overcrowded, unsafe and broken down’

By Lucy McLaren

July 12, 2022

A nurse practitioner spells out the reality of working in an overcrowded, noisy, and ill-equipped ED, where tired nurses are rationing care while dealing with abusive, distressed patients.

August 2022

Vigilance needed over New Zealand’s hard-won abortion rights

By Emma Macfarlane

July 7, 2022

New Zealand’s gains in abortion rights could ‘easily’ be lost as in the United States, warns a senior women’s health nurse.

August 2022

Nurse leader pleads for funding as staffing shortage forces closure of 900 aged-care beds

By NZNO College of Gerontology Nursing chair Natalie Seymour

July 6, 2022

Nurses in aged care are burning out and breaching their contracts working extended shifts to fill roster gaps, amid increasingly complex need of residents, says an aged care nurse leader.

July 2022

Looking after your health and wellbeing in a pandemic

By Helen Duyvestyn

June 30, 2022

Mental health nurse and life coach Helen Duyvestyn shares her insights into maintaining our chill in the midst of a global pandemic.

August 2022

It’s time to truly recognise the contribution of enrolled nurses

By Robyn Hewlett

June 30, 2022

The struggles of the enrolled nurse (EN) profession are well-documented and it is time ENs are truly recognised for what they contribute.

July 2022

Health reforms fail to deliver on climate change, say NZNO & other health professionals

By Mikey Brenndorfer

June 29, 2022

Climate change remains the greatest threat to human health, according to the World Health Organization.¹

July 2022

Migrant nurses vital to NZ and need better support, MPs told

By Monina Hernandez

May 26, 2022

Migrant nurse leader calls on MPs to better support IQNs, who are vital to the New Zealand health service.

May 2022

What does the Budget mean for the health sector in the long term?

By Brian Easton

May 25, 2022

When the finance minister says the health system is inefficient, what he means is that it is underfunded, says economist and policy analyst Brian Easton.

June 2022

Collapse of negotiations with care workers shows little has changed in how the Government views the work of women

By Katherine Ravenswood

May 18, 2022

Ahead of the 2022 Budget, apprenticeships have been given a $230 million funding boost while negotiations between care workers and the Government have fallen apart. It’s hard not to see this as a gender equity issue.

June 2022

Investing in Māori nurses to address health inequities an opportunity for the 2022 Budget

By NZNO kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku and Auckland University of Technology associate professor of public health Heather Came

May 17, 2022

The sudden crisis of COVID-19 has highlighted the deepening inequities in such a dramatic way and laid visible the major challenges within the health sector. On the back of the global pandemic there was always going to be difficult economic and social outcome decisions. With the Budget looming, the political debate about where to invest has already begun.

June 2022

‘That’s the scale of the injustice’ – NZNO won’t back down on back pay

By NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter

May 12, 2022

After a “clear and strong” member mandate to turn the district health boards’ pay equity proposal over to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) to determine backpay, senior nurse rates and how to safely cement pay equity into the system, NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter shares his views.

June 2022

Changes to how IQNs are registered must balance fairness with safety – Nursing Council

By Nursing Council policy and research advisor Kalpana Jayanatha and projects leader Jane MacGeorge

May 4, 2022

For some time, the Nursing Council has been considering how to improve the way we assess and register internationally qualified nurses (IQNs), to ensure that our processes are robust and fair.

May 2022

‘Tired but passionate’ caregiver on life inside aged residential care through the pandemic

By a Northland health-care assistant

April 28, 2022

After 31 years in aged residential care, a caregiver calls for mental health support.

May 2022

Nurses must speak out on ‘sparse, inaccessible’ mental health care

By NZNO professional nursing advisor Anne Brinkman, with contributions from the Mental Health Nursing Section committee.

April 13, 2022

‘Silent epidemic’ in mental health across Aotearoa as families struggle in isolation.

April 2022

The slap that was heard around the world: when is violence acceptable?

By Joel Maxwell

April 8, 2022

It was the slap heard around the world, but for some it was entirely normal.

Uncut – news briefs

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.