Te Whatu Ora – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

September 2026

‘You’re joking’ — exhausted ED nurses respond to HNZ promise

By Mary Longmore

September 29, 2026

Too little, too late and a political ploy. That was the reaction of emergency nurses to Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ)’s announcement it would hire another 380 frontline staff over the next nine months.

September 2026

NZNO annual general meeting kicks off with global nursing conference announcement

By Joel Maxwell

September 25, 2026

The NZNO annual general meeting (AGM) has kicked off with the announcement that the organisation would host the the 2028 ICN nurse practitioners and advanced nurses conference in Aotearoa.

August 2026

Latest EN graduate job figures reveal Minister’s ’empty’ promises, say enrolled nurses

By Mary Longmore

August 27, 2026

Enrolled nurses say they feel ‘deflated’ after just 29 of the latest wave of EN graduates got a job at Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ).

August 2026

Government ‘fudging’ hiring figures as nurses face intense pressure

By Joel Maxwell and Mary Longmore

August 11, 2026

The hospital nursing workforce has grown by a measly 54 roles since the Coalition Government took power, it has been revealed — despite its claims of 2100 extra nurses.

August 2026

My first political forum after 16 years as a registered nurse – here’s what I learned

By Olivia Vodanovich

August 5, 2026

A high-profile election health forum in Auckland drew 1400 people and media attention for its political attendance (or lack of) — but for NZNO private hospital delegate Olivia Vodanovich it was a first-time eye opener.

August 2026

‘It’s really disheartening’ — Te Whatu Ora graduate job offers fall short

By Mary Longmore and Joel Maxwell

July 24, 2026

Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ) is promising 1800 jobs for new nurse graduates over the next 12 months — but it’s still only 60 per cent of what’s needed.

July 2026

Show us the money! New Te Whatu Ora pay rates on the way

By Mary Longmore

July 1, 2026

After a six week wait, Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ) said new pay rates would start to roll out this month for more than 35,000 of their nurses, health-care assistants and midwives.

July 2026

Wheelie bad: Hutt’s leaky hospital with water-catching bins, sizzling sockets

By Joel Maxwell and Mary Longmore

June 29, 2026

Nurses have raised the alarm as staff and patients at Hutt Hospital face fire-risk “fizzing” walls, and water-catching wheelie bins in a case of leaky-health syndrome.

June 2026

BUDGET26: Robbing Pita to pay Paul — Budget leaves nurses, Māori in ‘money-go-round’

By Joel Maxwell and Mary Longmore

May 28, 2026

At best Budget 2026 has kept the health system in steady decline — at worst it drove Māori health off a cliff.

June 2026

‘Siri, should I take this pill?’ — assessing which AI-driven assistant is best

By Charon Lessing, Marie McKay, Shannon Foster and Deon Johnston

May 19, 2026

Can you take garlic with your lisinopril? As artificial intelligence makes inroads with virtual assistants, researchers examine its efficacy at helping older adults with medicinal questions.

June 2026

NZNO members vote to accept Te Whatu Ora offer

By Kaitiaki co-editors

May 15, 2026

NZNO nurses, midwives and health care assistants working for Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ) have voted to accept the latest collective agreement offer following a close secret ballot, which closed today.

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

What now for members, after Health New Zealand’s latest offer?

By Mary Longmore

May 8, 2026

NZNO’s bargaining team members say they have fought hard in the room — now it is up to members to decide whether to accept Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ)’s latest offer.

May 2026

Decision time for members — new offer on the table from Te Whatu Ora

By Mary Longmore and Joel Maxwell

April 24, 2026

It’s decision time for the 36,000 NZNO Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ) members as they consider new potential terms of settlement in bargaining.

April 2026

New uniforms a ‘cost saving’, claims chief nurse after backlash

By Mary Longmore

April 4, 2026

Thousands of new uniforms being rolled out around the country for senior nurses, registered nurses and health-care assistants will save costs, claims Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand (HNZ) chief nurse Nadine Gray.

April 2026

Expect more hacks, but ‘no going back’ warns nurse and health information expert

By Joel Maxwell

March 8, 2026

The shiny new digital world of health care in 2026 is starting to look a lot like the dusty old world of the Wild West — even the names are recycled, reveals Karen Day.

March 2026

Te Whatu Ora bargaining team returns to table with strong member backing

By Joel Maxwell

February 18, 2026

The question was asked, and the answer was simple. Keep going.

March 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

‘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.

February 2026

‘We are prepared to go hard, if that’s what members want’ — frustrated bargaining team back at the table

By Mary Longmore

January 30, 2026

‘Day 42, enough said!’ These are the words of NZNO’s hard-working bargaining team, wrangling jobs and Te Whatu Ora since late 2024.

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.