mental health nursing – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

September 2026

HNZ backtracks on police handover time after admitting plans ‘not safe’

By Joel Maxwell

September 23, 2026

Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ) has partially backed down on a controversial police policy for mental health handovers in emergency departments (EDs) — admitting it’s not safe.

June 2026

EXCLUSIVE: Learning the lessons of Erica Hume: New mental health unit might have old problems

By Joel Maxwell and Mary Longmore

June 11, 2026

A new mental health unit could be repeating dangerous mistakes of the past revealed in a decades-long search for answers in a young woman’s death.

May 2026

The mental health facility where the doors don’t lock properly: Hillmorton revealed

By Joel Maxwell and Mary Longmore

May 11, 2026

Nurses have been forced to work in squalid, unsafe and understaffed conditions at Christchurch’s Hillmorton Hospital, a new NZNO survey has revealed.

May 2026

Working 10-hour nursing shifts? Prepare to lose sick leave under new law

By Joel Maxwell and Mary Longmore

May 7, 2026

They’re surrounded by sick people and subject to assaults: now nurses face the additional injury of having sick days wiped by a proposed new law.

April 2026

‘It’s important’ — mental health nurse battler never forgets the need for empathy

By Helen Garrick

March 18, 2026

Even in the face of police pullbacks, helping people at a time of crisis and vulnerability can be deeply fulfilling, says long-time mental health nurse Helen Garrick.

April 2026

‘Peeling the onion’: An intensive brief intervention service for young people

By Michela Fox

March 16, 2026

Mental health nurse section committee member Michela Fox shares the secrets of a successful youth mental health service. Experience, complementary knowledge — and the nursing spirit of collaboration are key.

March 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.

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.

October 2025

Hidden nursing crisis revealed: The shocking staffing numbers, and the Minister’s response

By Joel Maxwell

October 8, 2025

Hidden Te Whatu Ora figures have revealed acute mental health wards in crisis: those most desperately in need of help, face shifts desperately in need of nurses.

September 2025

Scaled-back psychology assistants a ‘backtrack’, say mental health nurses

By Mary Longmore

September 4, 2025

A newly-approved psychology assistant workforce will simply be another burden on overstretched health professionals, warn NZNO mental health nurses.

April 2025

NZNO mental health nurses call for immediate halt to police withdrawal

By coeditors

April 11, 2025

Police withdrawal from mental health call-outs should be stopped until Te Whatu Ora makes critical resources available, NZNO — Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa mental health nurses say.

April 2025

Mental health nurse leader slams ‘distracting’ associate psychologist role

By Mary Longmore

March 26, 2025

Mental health nurse leader Helen Garrick says a new associate psychologist role being introduced here is a “distraction from the shortage of psychiatrists and mental health nurses”.

February 2025

Community mental health nurses consider stab-proof vests after knife attack

By Mary Longmore

January 16, 2025

Community mental health nurses are considering stab-proof vests and personal alarms as part of a “suite of options”, after a nurse was stabbed while on an acute after-hours mental health callout in Rotorua recently.

January 2025

A nurse explains why she’ll never return to mental health nursing in NZ

By Annelie Gannaway

January 8, 2025

It’s the year 2014 and my husband and I are about to leave New Zealand and move to Sweden.

25 Sept	380 more health care workers at the end of winter too little too late An announcement of 380 additional nurses, midwives and health care assistants for hospitals around the country at the end of winter is too little too late, NZNO says.
23 Sept	Auckland University research finds nurse shortages increase post-surgery deaths and complications New research by Auckland University has found addressing nurse shortages in post-operative care may save 182 lives a year because short-staffed wards have higher rates of potentially preventable deaths and complications after their surgeries.
21 Sept	Whanganui Hospital ED averaged 680% capacity over a week Working in an overcrowded emergency department (ED), up to 680% capacity over a week, makes staff feel overwhelmed with the pressure, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says.
14 Sept	WellSouth's Newborn Enrolment Kahu Taurima Programme a finalist at the Primary Care Awards 2026 WellSouth's Newborn Enrolment Kahu Taurima Programme is a finalist at the Primary Care Awards for the HALEO Best Supplier Service, Product or Campaign category. Winners will be announced on 17 October.
14 Sept	Global Study: Nursing Shortages Require Workforce Policy Solutions, Not Recruitment Campaigns Alone Why people choose nursing, and why they leave, comes down to the same factors. The global nursing shortage cannot be solved simply by encouraging more people to enter the profession, according to a new evidence brief.
8 Sept	Overworked, understaffed Gisborne ED staff strike Health and safety concerns arising from unsafe staffing levels have forced nurses at Gisborne Hospital’s emergency department (ED) to go on strike.
4 Sept	Strong growth in wāhine Māori and Pacific women’s cervical screening rates highlights success of self-testing programme Cervical screening participation has increased significantly for both wāhine Māori and Pacific women, reflecting the strong impact of self-testing, Screening Services and the dedicated efforts of health providers working alongside their communities.
4 Sept	Government must adopt Wai 2713 recommendations on disability system The Coalition Government must urgently adopt new recommendations from the Waitangi Tribunal which has found significant parts of the disability system prejudice tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori with disabilities), NZNO says.
31 Aug	Employing graduate nurses will help keep them in nursing and the country A new proposal that will require Te Whatu Ora to offer all eligible graduate nurses jobs in the public health system will help keep them in nursing and in Aotearoa New Zealand, NZNO says.
26 Aug	Health Minister’s claim Winter Plan ‘managing well’ delusional Health Minister Simeon Brown’s claim that hospitals are ‘managing well’ because of the Government’s Winter Plan is delusional, NZNO says.
25 Aug	Hospital data shows nursing shortages continue to put patients at risk Te Whatu Ora data released today shows patients are continuing to be put at risk by the Coalition Government’s deliberate failure to safely staff hospital wards, NZNO says.
24 Aug	Fed-up North Shore ED staff declare state of emergency NZNO members working in the emergency department (ED) at North Shore Hospital have declared a state of emergency due to unsafe staffing levels resulting in ongoing overcrowding.
19 Aug	What happened to the winter health plan? The $25 million 2026 Winter Plan launched by Health Minister Simeon Brown in March to erase pressure on the health system has been an unmitigated disaster, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says.
11 Aug	Applications open for advanced nursing education programmes Health New Zealand is encouraging registered nurses to apply for two advanced education programmes that support nurses to further develop their clinical skills and expand access to care in communities across New Zealand.
3 Aug	Health New Zealand welcomes settlement of NZRDA collective agreement Health New Zealand welcomes the vote by New Zealand Resident Doctors Association (NZRDA) members to settle their collective agreement.
30 Jul	Backing our frontline rural health workforce Rural communities across New Zealand will benefit from three new investments that will support the rural health workforce and help more people access care closer to home, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says.
22 Jul	Te Whatu Ora must disclose staffing levels at time of tragic death Te Whatu Ora must disclose whether the Waikato emergency department (ED) was short-staffed at the time a man tragically died in the waiting room, NZNO says.
6 Jul	Reflecting on IND 2026 Looking back on last month’s International Nurses Day 12 May 2026 (IND 2026), the impact of this year's theme "Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives" continues to resonate across the world. ICN’s landmark IND 2026 report defined seven key powers of nursing and this message has been strengthened with nurses in every region celebrating, naming, and owning their powers throughout May.
3 Jul	Health New Zealand acknowledges Ombudsman statement on Wakari Ward 10A Health NZ welcomes the independent investigation by the Ministry of Health into Ward 10A. On Wednesday the Health NZ board agreed to close Wakari Ward 10a as a forensic intellectual disability (ID) unit, with the future use of the ward yet to be determined.
2 Jul	New programme to fast track bowel cancer care and cut colonoscopy waitlists Health New Zealand is today launching a national initiative, designed to fast track bowel cancer care and reduce colonoscopy waitlists by up to 30 per cent.
1 Jul	Six new Co-Response Team locations announced to strengthen support for people in mental distress The next six locations for Health New Zealand and NZ Police Co-Response Teams have been confirmed, expanding a model that helps people experiencing mental distress receive timely, wraparound support that better meets their health needs.
29 Jun	Mental health and addiction targets progress continues Health New Zealand continues to make important progress against its mental health and addiction targets, meeting four out of five national targets this quarter.
25 Jun	Access to care continuing to improve across a range of health indicators New health data released today shows continued improvement in access to care across a range of health indicators.
18 Jun	Funding "boost" continues dangerous under-funding of aged care The Health Minister’s funding "boost" for aged residential care continues underfunding to the sector and will continue unsafe practices and short staffing, which is putting vulnerable residents at risk, NZNO says.
16 Jun	Labour to make maternity scans free Labour will add free maternity scans to the Medicard alongside three free doctor’s visits a year, so every pregnant woman gets the care she needs.