Articles – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

October 2026

How far would you drive to hold their hand?

By Aged Care Association

October 21, 2026

For one West Coast husband, visiting his wife meant a 240-kilometre return journey. She needed secure dementia care that was not available locally, so accessing that care meant living apart. He made the trip twice a week until fatigue and concerns about his safety on the road forced him to visit less often.

October 2026

Vote for health: From Labour to ACT, how will (or won’t) our politicians fix safe staffing?

By Kaitiaki coeditors

October 22, 2026

Kaitiaki launches an eight-day crash course on how our politicians plan to fix a health system in crisis. We’ve posed eight questions to the main parties. Now we’re rolling out their responses – or lack thereof – before the Election.

Today we ask: How will you create a safely-staffed public health system?

Rising ambulance callouts highlight the importance of timely support for older adults living alone

By Hato Hone St John

June 15, 2026

When an older patient lives alone, it’s natural to wonder whether they’d get the help they need if something happened at home. The latest Hato Hone St John (HHStJ) emergency response data offers some useful context.

September 2026

Enrolled nurses back in bonding scheme after tackling Minister

By Mary Longmore

September 9, 2026

Enrolled nurses (ENs) are stoked to be back in the voluntary bonding scheme — a year after being unexpectedly dumped.

September 2026

North Shore nurses send an SOS to the community — and a message to vote health

By Mary Longmore

September 4, 2026

North Shore nurses and students called on the public to vote with health in mind this election, as they shared fears for their patients, the health system and themselves at a public meeting this week.

September 2026

Government urged to partner with Māori after damning Waitangi Tribunal report finds ‘unsafe’ disability services

By Kaitiaki coeditors

September 4, 2026

The Coalition Government must urgently partner with Māori to better care for tāngata whaikaha Māori — Māori with disabilities, says NZNO kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku.

October 2026

‘It’s a lie, Chris’ — health, nursing numbers key in closing election debates

By Joel Maxwell

October 22, 2026

One of the two Chris’s was telling porkies — but it was up to the audience, and the country, to decide.

September 2026

‘It gives us hope’: Student nurses welcome Labour’s promise they’ll all get jobs

By Mary Longmore

September 2, 2026

Nursing tauira are cautiously thrilled with Labour’s promise of full employment — as long as it is kept.

October 2026

Child cancer treatments ‘delayed not suspended’, claims minister amid damning new staffing revelations

By Mary Longmore

October 15, 2026

Minister of Health Simeon Brown is denying nurses’ reports that some child cancer treatments have been suspended for a week amid a staffing crisis at Starship Hospital’s oncology ward.

September 2026

Primary health nurses head back to the table after eight-week delay from bosses

By Kaitiaki coeditors

September 2, 2026

‘We deserve more respect’, say primary health-care (PHC) nurses, frustrated that employers took eight weeks to respond to their claims for better pay and sick leave.

October 2026

Back to the future — ‘terrible’ order to cap nursing student numbers comes under fire

By Mary Longmore and Joel Maxwell

October 14, 2026

Nursing schools have been told to cap next year’s student numbers at 2025 levels — sparking criticism and fear over the future of the nursing workforce.

October 2026

‘It’s a start’ say primary health nurses on 3.5 per cent pay rise

By Mary Longmore

October 5, 2026

A 3.5 per cent pay rise is a start — but not the end, says Waikato practice nurse Tracey Morgan after NZNO’s primary health-care members voted to accept their employers’ offer.

August 2026

Māori nurse educator Pipi Barton recognised with top honour

By Marino Harker-Smith

August 27, 2026

Advocating for Māori nurses, as both tauira and in the workforce, has been a career mission for Northland nurse and academic Pipi Barton — this year’s recipient of the biennial Te Akenehi Hei Memorial Award.

October 2026

Care and support workers first in line for pay equity boost under new Government

By Mary Longmore and Joel Maxwell

October 2, 2026

Auckland health-care assistant (HCA) Sabina Lama says this week’s pay equity announcement by the Greens gives her a “glimmer of hope”.

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).

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.

August 2026

Gisborne ED staff vote for health and safety strike as understaffing bites

By Joel Maxwell

August 27, 2026

Between long 12-hour shifts and crushing work demands, nurse Clara Dolman-Tuhou has only seen her son three times in the last two weeks.

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

Proposed new RN prescriber and NP competencies open for consultation as both roles bloom

By Mary Longmore

August 24, 2026

Consultation is open on proposed new standards of competence for nurse practitioners (NPs) and registered nurse (RN) prescribers that the Nursing Council says will better reflect their expanded practice today.

September 2026

Emptying beds ‘not a solution’ say striking Waitākere Hospital staff

By Mary Longmore

September 24, 2026

Waitākere Hospital’s Muriwai ward staff walked off the job this week to strike for a second time — despite an 11th hour decision by Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ) to close off five beds.

20 Oct	Winners of the 2026 NZ Primary Healthcare Awards \| He Tohu Mauri Ora announced Over 600 supporters of primary care gathered at the Auckland's Viaduct Events Centre on Saturday night for a glittering gala dinner for the 2026 New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards \| He Tohu Mauri Ora.
19 Oct	Te Whatu Ora must fully staff vital Starship Children's Hospital wards Te Whatu Ora must fully staff all wards at Starship Children's Hospital including four vital wards which are short of a total of 18 full-time nurses, NZNO says.
16 Oct	Paid placements policy will help boost nursing workforce A policy to pay nursing students a weekly allowance while they're on clinical placements will help them graduate and boost Aotearoa New Zealand's homegrown nursing workforce, NZNO says.
5 Oct	Labour's pay rise a first step, but pay equity needs a full settlement Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO has welcomed Labour's promised pay rise for care and support workers as a first step. It says care and support workers now need a full settlement of their pay equity claim and a workable pay equity system for all of its members.
1 Oct	Health NZ releases first national report on serious adverse events Health New Zealand has published its first national Serious Adverse Event Report, acknowledging the serious harm experienced by patients and whānau and outlining the improvements identified and actions underway to strengthen patient safety. The report covers serious adverse events reported in Hospital and Specialist Services between 1 July and 31 December 2025.
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.