Articles – Page 33 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

January 2025

Safe staffing and stronger community health care — returning president and vice-president share their aims

By Mary Longmore

December 9, 2024

In the first of two leadership profiles, Kaitiaki talks to returning NZNO president Anne Daniels and vice-president Nano Tunnicliff about their priorities.

November 2023

‘Shining star’ Bernie wins most outstanding kaiāwhina award

By Mary Longmore

November 2, 2023

A long-time health-care assistant (HCA), described as a “shining star” by colleagues, has won the “most outstanding” kaiāwhina award at a new Manawatū event which throws a spotlight on caregivers.

November 2023

Emergency nurse ‘flow bros’ finally win back pay

By Mary Longmore

October 20, 2023

After a three-and-a-half year battle, 18 Wellington nurses are celebrating winning hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay after their role as patient flow coordinators at Wellington Hospital emergency department (ED) was underpaid for 13 years.

July 2023

Members encouraged to have say on NZNO’s future

By Cate Macintosh

June 30, 2023

NZNO members are being urged to give feedback on the future of the organisation, it’s structures and governance as part of a wide-ranging review which many hope will result in a re-write of the constitution.

November 2023

‘Without us, there’s nothing’ — more strikes considered by telehealth nurses

By Mary Longmore

October 19, 2023

Telehealth nurses from crisis services like Healthline, ambulance triaging and 111 mental health response are considering two more strikes after rejecting the latest pay offer from employer Whakarongorau, which they say doesn’t reflect their value.

October 2023

Election 2023: Voting ‘paramount’ for nurses, health workers

By Mary Longmore

October 12, 2023

Nurses and health workers are urging all health professionals to get out and vote in this Saturday’s general election.

July 2023

Celebration over pay disparity ‘fix’ for Māori, iwi, Pacific providers on hold for many

By Cate Macintosh

June 26, 2023

Many nurses and kaiāwhina who work for Māori, iwi and Pacific providers haven’t had a pay increase, despite an injection of $200 million towards closing the gap in rates with Te Whatu Ora.

November 2023

‘I won’t be silenced’ — Gisborne Hospital nurse whistleblower fears she is a target after disciplinary attempt

By Mary Longmore

October 9, 2023

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa–NZNO is taking legal action to support Gisborne Hospital ward 5 nurse Christine Warrander after hospital managers threatened her with disciplinary action over a social media post.

July 2023

Mental health nursing ‘beyond crisis’

By Mary Longmore

June 19, 2023

NZNO mental health nurses say their workforce is “beyond crisis” with record levels of violence — often fuelled by methamphetamine — coinciding with a dearth of senior nurses.

October 2023

Election 2023: Nurses take the political pulse

By NZNO research and campaigns staff

September 29, 2023

We bring you Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki Aotearoa – NZNO’s election scorecard, where nurses run an eye over political parties’ health policies ahead of the October 14 general election.

April 2023

Thanks, but where’s the rest? Nurses challenge Minister of Health on back pay

By Mary Longmore

March 8, 2023

Pay equity salary increases of up to $12,000 per annum are “appreciated”, but Wellington nurses today told Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall they want to be back-paid to 2019 “like we were promised”.

October 2023

‘I found myself drowning’ — the challenges for Māori working in the health system

By Mary Longmore

September 28, 2023

A panel of Māori nurses shared their experiences of “werohia ngā ture” — challenging the system and being “unapologetically Māori” at NZNO’s 2023 conference.

October 2023

Call to unite, prepare for looming political threats to health system and unions

By Mary Longmore

September 27, 2023

‘Disrespect us at your peril’ — nurses and NZNO urged to fight racism and protect a health system for all.

July 2023

Strike action not ruled out as nurses overwhelmingly reject Te Whatu Ora’s proposal for offer

By Mary Longmore

June 7, 2023

‘Disheartened’ but resolute nurses, midwives and kaiāwhina are not ruling out industrial action after a resounding rejection of Te Whatu Ora’s proposal for an offer.

October 2023

Minister’s diagnosis: Health system ‘in recovery’ but risk of relapse high without enough funding

By Mary Longmore

September 26, 2023

In recovery — but facing relapse with any reversal of funding, was Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall’s “diagnosis” of the health system, at the recent Tōpūtanga Tapuhi o Kaitiaki Aotearoa — NZNO annual general meeting (AGM).

March 2023

‘I’m quite resilient – I guess [it’s] years of being a nurse’

By Cate Macintosh

March 6, 2023

She survived a deadly attack and, most recently, a cyclone that destroyed her home. But mental health nurse Ra Kupa is determined to rebuild and get back to work — and can still make strangers laugh.

October 2023

Pasifika young nurse of the year draws on his own ‘tough’ experiences in sexual health work

By Mary Longmore

September 22, 2023

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi o Kaitiaki Aotearoa — NZNO’s young nurse of the year John Fa’ukafa says the “tough” times he endured as a young Pasifika male coming out as gay made him the nurse he is today.

July 2023

Huge attendance at stop-work meetings, as nurses say offer ‘disrespectful’

By Cate Macintosh and Mary Longmore

June 2, 2023

Nurses, midwives and health workers turned out in huge numbers to off-site stop-work meetings, with many expressing their anger and disgust over Te Whatu Ora’s offer for a new two-year collective agreement.

July 2023

Primary health care will ‘implode’ — eight per cent not enough to stem practice nurse haemorrhage

By Mary Longmore

June 2, 2023

Practice nurses say an eight per cent pay rise is a “step” closer to hospital nurses’ salaries — but does not go nearly far enough.

March 2023

Emotional exhaustion hits nurses, two weeks after Cyclone Gabrielle

By Cate Macintosh

March 3, 2023

Nurses in regions devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle are in a state of shock, coping with post-event trauma while continuing to work and support each other.

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.