Articles – Page 18 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

April 2026

‘It’s never too late to be what you might have been’ — Ros Rowarth on 50 years of nursing

By Joel Maxwell

March 30, 2026

Somewhere her colleagues miss her, and are gently easing themselves into her absence, somewhere there’s a former patient who gave her an emotional slap in the face that set her on the path to new growth in her 50s. Somewhere there’s a set of red epaulettes that she proudly attached to her first nursing uniform.

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.

April 2026

‘So many hospitals are being attacked’: Myanmar doctor seeks NZNO nursing know-how

By Joel Maxwell

March 13, 2026

Cynthia Maung is a Myanmar refugee, a doctor and a leader who started her clinic using a rice-cooker as a steriliser. Now she’s keen to upskill her local nursing workforce with NZNO’s help.

February 2026

Ka whai wā te tapuhi nei ki te whāngai i ngā tini e haere mai nei ki Rātana

By Renee Kiriona

January 26, 2026

E hia manomano tāngata Māori, kaiārahi tōrangapū, Māngai Pāremata hoki puta noa i te whenua e whakarite ana mō ngā whakanuitanga ā-tau i Rātana kia whakanui i tō te rangatira hāhi whānautanga. Ā, kei waenganui i a rātou tētahi tapuhi hōhipera kiriwhakapōtae e whāngaia ana te tini.

February 2026

Nurse finds time to feed masses heading to Rātana

By Renee Kiriona

January 22, 2026

Thousands of Māori people throughout the country, political leaders and MPs are gearing up for the annual Rātana commemorations to celebrate the birth of the church’s founder. And a graduate hospital nurse will be among those who feed them.

January 2026

A life of dedication: Remembering Sue Claridge 1955-2025

By Marilyn Casey

January 15, 2026

It is with profound sadness that we bid farewell to Sue Claridge, a cherished colleague, mentor and friend, whose legacy will resonate throughout the perioperative nursing community of Christchurch and New Zealand.

January 2026

Daisy, Bunny and pals: I work in residential care, my pets are my therapy when I get home

By Emily Bolton

January 12, 2026

In a Kaitiaki summer feature we’re sharing our readers’ amazing pets – answering the age old question of what makes the perfect animal companion to the busy health professional.

January 2026

Tibbs, Ziggy, Panda and Jaina: They help me through the hard times

By Aura Sanderson

January 5, 2026

In a Kaitiaki summer feature we’re sharing our readers’ amazing pets – answering the age old question of what makes the perfect animal companion to the busy health professional.

September 2025

Nurse John spins real-life short-staffing trauma into comedy gold, say Auckland fans

By Auckland nurses

September 8, 2025

A group of North Shore nurses who went along to the TikTok sensation Nurse John’s short-staffing show say it hit the nail on the head.

January 2026

Nursing pets: From ‘foster fail’ to beloved member of exclusive circle of friends

By Allie Sutton

December 22, 2025

In a Kaitiaki summer feature we’re sharing our readers’ amazing pets – answering the age old question of what makes the perfect animal companion to the busy health professional.

September 2025

A Singaporean nurse in New Zealand: is the grass really greener?

By Farhana Sulong

September 4, 2025

Adapting to life in New Zealand has been quite the emotional journey for Singaporean nurse Farhana Sulong, who emigrated here in the middle of the pandemic.

January 2026

Lilah: She helped me through long nights of study to my theatre nursing role

By Melissa Gratwicke

December 29, 2025

In a Kaitiaki summer feature we’re sharing our readers’ amazing pets – answering the age old question of what makes the perfect animal companion to the busy health professional.

January 2026

Nurses make 100 emerging Māori leaders’ list for 2025

By Kaitiaki coeditors

December 22, 2025

Three nurses have made the annual list of 100 people who have been identified by Te Rau Ora as emerging Māori leaders.

November 2025

Flight nurses: Working between heaven, earth and hell

By Renee Kiriona

November 16, 2025

There are fewer than 500 flight nurses in Aotearoa. They work between heaven and earth, and sometimes hell, starting their day in a hangar rather than a hospital ward, ready to fly wherever life is hanging in the balance. Kaitiaki talks with two flight nurses about nursing in the air.

September 2025

Homegrown and hired: Northland backs its own new graduate nurses

By Baxter-Lena Edwards

September 4, 2025

Why did every single nurse who graduated from Northtec this July get a job? One of this group thinks she knows the reason.

September 2025

Speaking up for carers: ‘Caregiver abuse is all too common’

By Kath Woodley

August 28, 2025

Most people are aware of the terrible problem of elder abuse. But much less is known about the insidious issue of elderly dementia patients abusing their carers.

August 2025

200 words and done: Pay equity fight headed to court — why, when, where and what even is pay equity?

By Joel Maxwell

August 21, 2025

The battle against the Government’s pay equity schemozzle is headed to court — what’s happening, and how does it involve NZNO?

200 words and done: Pay equity fight headed to court — why, when, where and what even is pay equity?

August 2025

‘I don’t want that brown nurse to look after me’ — racism one of many challenges faced by migrant nurses

By Reshmi Varghese

August 18, 2025

“When we come to a new country we can be made to feel a bit small.”
A nurse who moved from India to Invercargill is making sure other oversea nurses get the support they need when they arrive in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

August 2025

Dear Simeon Brown — a letter from a longtime registered nurse

By Abby Broadbent

August 13, 2025

Veteran registered nurse Abby Broadbent sent a letter to health minister Simeon Brown asking if he’d like to swap jobs. She agreed to Kaitiaki running the letter, abridged, to share her thoughts with fellow members.

August 2025

Pay equity changes ‘a major regression in women’s rights’

By Judy McGregor

July 31, 2025

The cancelling of pay-equity claims is a significant regression in women’s rights in this country and had no political mandate.

23 Oct	National’s hiring freeze puts lives at risk Last night’s warnings from doctors at Wairau Hospital that patients may die if they don’t get more staff is yet another example of the damage National’s hiring freeze has done to our health system.
23 Oct	Recognition of need to fix primary care crisis good for patients Recognition of the need to fix the crisis in primary health care is good for patients but stops short of a much-needed overhaul of the sector, NZNO says.
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.