Chief executive Paul Goulter said NZNO wanted to tackle the nursing shortage crisis “permanently” across every health sector.
NZNO knew nurses, midwives, health-care assistants and kaihahi hauora were all struggling and burning out amid increasing demands in understaffed environments, he said.
“Systemic failure has meant moral injury/distress and burnout across all sectors, not just in the district health boards,” Goulter said. “We all know, too, that Māori have relatively poor health outcomes due to systemic racism and failures to honour te Tiriti in health.”
| NZNO would be demanding five “fixes”: | |
|---|---|
| 1 | te Tiriti actualised within and across the health system |
| 2 | more nurses across all sectors |
| 3 | pay and conditions that meet nurses’ values and expectations |
| 4 | more people training to be nurses |
| 5 | more Māori and Pasifika nurses |
Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku, president Anne Daniels, chief executive Paul Goulter and a range of local and international speakers will be discussing what has led to the current crisis, what members want, how a union can effect change and what members’ aspirations should be across the whole health sector.
Comedian Michele A’Court will host this online event from 11am – 12.30pm this Thursday. Members are invited to register here. More details and a draft programme are available here.