NZNO kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said SPNF had, in 2018, requested an indigenous nursing representative from the South Pacific region be included on Nursing Now, a global campaign to raise the profile of nursing, run by the United Kingdom-based Burdett Trust for Nursing, the World Health Organization and the ICN.
But the ICN had suggested a global indigenous representative, not just a Pacific one, Nuku said. No further communication had ensued and with the Nursing Now campaign due to wind up in 2021, the conversation was “null and void”. However, the conversation between national nursing associations (NNAs), regulators and chief nurses should continue, to strengthen the voice of the Pacific region’s nursing groups at a global level, she said.
At its annual general meeting at the forum, the SPNF agreed to set up a working group to pursue this.
Nuku and former NZNO president Grant Brookes have raised concerns about the “Eurocentric” nature of the Nursing Now campaign previously.
