Articles – Page 27 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

May 2024

‘It’s heart-breaking’ — nurses and kaiāwhina to rally across Aotearoa for safe staffing

By Mary Longmore

May 8, 2024

From aged care to mental health, nurses and health-care assistants (HCAs) are rallying around the country tomorrow (May 9) for safer staffing ratios ahead of this month’s Budget 2024.

August 2024

Nursing Council drops 40-plus RN competencies in favour of six standards

By Mary Longmore

July 31, 2024

The Nursing Council has listened to nurses and dropped a proposal to make registered nurses (RNs) meet 41 separate competencies and enrolled nurses (ENs) 29, after an outpouring of concern over the workload.

August 2024

Three out of five nursing students to get hospital jobs, Te Whatu Ora figures show

By Mary Longmore

July 24, 2024

Te Whatu Ora says it has employed 334 of the 535 mid-year nursing graduates who applied into supported entry roles — leaving 166 facing uncertain futures in the general talent pool.

August 2024

‘We are family’ — residents rally around nursing staff after bosses propose cutting 400 care hours

By Mary Longmore

July 19, 2024

Upset residents and their families and friends turned out to support staff striking over a proposal to cut 400 care hours a week at a Wellington aged care facility.

May 2024

Southern PHO first to get Rainbow Tick for inclusive practice

By Mary Longmore

May 7, 2024

A South Island nurse leader says being the first primary health service to receive a rainbow tick for inclusive practice is a “fantastic” achievement for her workplace.

August 2024

Nursing students share pain, tears and laughter with heads of school

By Mary Longmore

July 18, 2024

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house recently as nursing tauira (students) spoke of their struggles, exhaustion and despair.

Iwi response to COVID-19 shows power of Māori-led health care

By Moe Milne

June 12, 2020

Te Tai Tokerau Māori health advocate Moe Milne, Ngāti Hine and Ngāpuhi, says Māori have proven they can take care of their own whānau, after a nurse-Led response to COVID-19 reached hundreds in vulnerable Northland communities.

August 2024

‘We work just as hard’ — community nurses strike for the same pay as hospitals

By Mary Longmore

July 16, 2024

About 150 Access Community Health nursing staff went on strike around the country on this week, demanding the same pay and conditions as their Te Whatu Ora colleagues.

May 2024

Tough new government health targets could backfire, warn nurses

By Mary Longmore

April 9, 2024

Emergency nurses fear tough new targets for emergency departments (EDs) will put already-stretched staff under more pressure, risking “gaming” of wait time data.

July 2024

‘My God you’re influential — use it’. Call to action for nurses, kaiāwhina and midwives to push for safe staffing

By Mary Longmore

July 9, 2024

The real-life stories of nurses, combined with hard evidence on the harm caused by poorly staffed hospitals, are crucial to getting safe nurse-to-patient ratios legalised here in Aotearoa, nurse leaders heard.

May 2024

Health-care assistant ambitions ‘no threat’ to nurses, says new NZNO group

By Mary Longmore

April 5, 2024

A new group of NZNO health-care assistants/kaiāwhina has big plans for their future — but is reassuring nurses there is no wish to encroach on their role.

April 2023

Values mismatch leads to drop in compassion — study

By Cate Macintosh

April 12, 2023

As New Zealand faces another winter of critical health care staff shortages, a new study shows patients and staff are likely to suffer when efficiency is prioritised over compassion by service providers.

July 2024

New Zealand can lead the world in culturally safe nurse-to-patient ratios

By Mary Longmore

July 4, 2024

Māori nursing leaders want Aotearoa, New Zealand, to be the first in the world to introduce culturally safe nurse-to-patient ratios, alongside clinical.

July 2024

Mid-year nurse graduate job matching ‘still underway’ — Te Whatu Ora

By Mary Longmore

July 2, 2024

Te Whatu Ora says its job-matching process for 535 mid-year nursing graduates is “still underway” and it cannot provide figures for another couple of weeks on where new nurses are going to be working.

July 2024

Cancer nurses welcome multi-million medicine deal — but warn of flow-on workload

By Mary Longmore

June 26, 2024

Cancer nurses say the Government’s decision to fund 26 cancer treatments is great news — but it must also resource oncology teams to care for higher number of patients.

June 2025

Nursing sisters overcome the odds

By Renee Kiriona

June 4, 2025

The Witton sisters have weathered a pandemic, cyclone, poverty, two jobs each and multiple other challenges during their three-year journey to becoming qualified nurses.

June 2025

Dhyanne Hohepa: ‘A light in the dark for Māori nurses’

By Renee Kiriona

May 6, 2025

Dhyanne Hohepa is a leader among Māori nurses driven by aroha and passionate about clinical excellence.

January 2026

50 years of publishing and loss of beloved nurse leader in latest edition of perioperative journal ‘The Dissector’

By Michael Esdaile and Bron Taylor

January 15, 2026

Welcome to the latest edition of The Dissector — the quarterly journal of NZNO’s perioperative nurses college.

July 2024

From far north to deep south, nurses and kaiāwhina call for change

By Mary Longmore

June 25, 2024

Nurses and kaiāwhina who jumped aboard the country-wide safe staffing bus tour say public support has been “amazing” — and want the Government to invest in safely staffed hospitals.

January 2026

NZNO research and news journals now online and open to all — bringing unique NZ focus

By Kaitiaki coeditors

November 25, 2025

Nurses, health professionals and others interested in the latest nursing research can now access the Kaitiaki Nursing Research journal free and online.

27 Oct	Pilot registry to trial a safer path for women’s pelvic health Health New Zealand has started a pilot in Christchurch today to test processes required to establish a nationwide registry for female pelvic floor procedures, including surgical mesh.
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.