She graduated from Unitec in 2014 with a diploma in enrolled nursing, having initially studied engineering in Fiji before immigrating to New Zealand in 2008.
It was the loss of her paternal grandmother in 2012, and not being able to stand by her side and hold her hand, that led her into nursing. “The phrase ‘I did not choose nursing, nursing chose me’ stands true for me. I had two young kids back then (four and two, now 11 and nine) and enrolled nursing seemed to be the right stepping stone for me.”
Dayal has been a delegate on her ward since 2018. Even before taking on that role, she took an active role in the nurses’ strike, rallies and meetings, and “kept the fire burning within the rest of the staff members”.
It is her passion for ENs and their roles in health that motivated her to stand for the board. “I would like to work towards implementing an education system that allows ENs to bridge to a registered nurse qualification. I would also like to see a standard scope of practice for all ENs across all sectors. For example, some ENs in some district health boards [DHBs] have to get oral medications countersigned by an RN, while other DHBs do not have such policies.”
She would also like to raise awareness about the EN scope of practice, and the fact they could be employed in most wards/sectors.
Violence in the workplace is another of her concerns. “I would like to know, say quarterly, how many incidents of violence have happened in each workplace, what the employer has done about this, what plans are in place etc.”
To help raise awareness of domestic violence in New Zealand, Dayal is currently participating in the Mrs Universe New Zealand 2021.