August 2025 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

September 2025

‘All we can do is take the buggers to court’ — teachers, nurses, librarians join forces in legal challenge

By Mary Longmore

August 29, 2025

Wāhine across female-dominated workforces stood together outside the High Court in Wellington today, as their unions filed joint legal action against the Government’s $12.8 billion rollback of pay equity claims.

September 2025

She’s aged 87 and still teaches — Grace Benson and her thousands of diamonds

By Joel Maxwell

August 29, 2025

For more than 40 years Grace Benson has lovingly shaped and polished thousands of her ‘diamonds’ — so many you can find them in theatres, practices and clinics around the country.

September 2025

Māori nurse awards bring out the ‘mana in their mahi’

By Renee Kiriona

August 28, 2025

Māori nurses on a journey to advance their clinical practice or develop innovative ways to help Māori communities access and understand their medicines, were recently recognised at the 2025 Te Pātaka Whaioranga (PHARMAC) Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards.

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.

September 2025

Hutt nurses opt to ‘bleed and feed’ in strike next week

By Renee Kiriona

August 28, 2025

Hundreds of Te Whatu Ora nurses in the Hutt Valley are planning to give away their blood and food during their two days of strikes.

September 2025

‘On days off they went to Hiroshima, picked up fused glass’: The Christchurch nurses swept up in history

By Joel Maxwell

August 28, 2025

They fossicked atomic wastelands, witnessed horrors, but in the end were just everyday nurses trained in Christchurch.

September 2025

Mātaki: ‘I penapenahia ngā tāra piriona i runga i ngā tuarā wāhine’ — he tāpaetanga tuarua mō te tautika utu

By Joel Maxwell

August 25, 2025

Mātaki: Kua hoki mai te NZNO ki te komiti whiriwhiri o te tangata i te Mane, i mua i tā rātou whakarewa i te pakanga tautika utu i te Kōti Matua i te Paraire.

Mātaki: ‘I penapenahia ngā tāra piriona i runga i ngā tuarā wāhine’ — he tāpaetanga tuarua mō te tautika utu

August 2025

Watch: ‘They saved billions on the backs of women’ — second submission made on pay equity

By Joel Maxwell

August 25, 2025

Watch: NZNO was back at the people’s select committee on Monday, before taking the battle for pay equity to the High Court on Friday.

Watch: ‘They saved billions on the backs of women’ — second submission made on pay equity

September 2025

‘What we do matters’ — the heartbreaking work of neonatal nurses

By Juliet Manning and Michelle Willows

August 22, 2025

The most vulnerable New Zealander weights 350g — less than a packet of butter — and is currently being cared for in a neonatal unit. That newborn and their whānau deserve to be cared for by a skilled and specialist team, says NZNO’s ngā tapuhi whare kōhanga o Aotearoa – neonatal nurses college of Aotearoa.

September 2025

ED duo – Mum boss at home, daughter boss at work

By Renee Kiriona

August 22, 2025

Mum is the boss at home but daughter is the boss at work. Bernadette and Melanie Taankink have both worked as nurses at Wellington Hospital’s ED for more than 20 years, yet few colleagues know they are actually whānau.

September 2025

‘I support them as they have supported us’ — nurses lend a hand to striking teachers

By Mary Longmore and Joel Maxwell

August 21, 2025

NZNO nurses and kaiāwhina might be a little busy with their own strike action — but it didn’t stop a few turning out to support our kaiako (teachers) strike around the country this week.

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?

September 2025

For goodness sake don’t mention the t-shirts: Nurses on strike forbidden to speak about item of clothing

By Joel Maxwell

August 19, 2025

They could wear the t-shirts — they just couldn’t talk about the t-shirts.

September 2025

Last-minute strike cancellation after Te Whatu Ora barred a third of staff from taking part — Christchurch nurses

By Mary Longmore

August 18, 2025

Christchurch nurses say they cancelled a strike because Te Whatu Ora tried to stop about 70 staff from joining the action — a third of NZNO’s perioperative, radiology and PACU members.

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

Nurses, kaiāwhina and doctors throw weight behind ‘heartbreaking’ patient voice petition

By Mary Longmore

August 14, 2025

Nurses, doctors and patients around the country are making a last big push for signatures on a petition for patient rights, ahead of it being presented to Parliament in November.

August 2025

Multiply by five, add a lot of years — decades needed to make up shocking Māori nursing shortfall, report says

By Joel Maxwell

August 14, 2025

Multiply by five and add decades — a new Infometrics report released at the indigenous nurses conference reveals Aotearoa will need a lot of time and enrolments for Māori nursing to hit parity.

August 2025

Weekly $100 for some nursing students for placements outside Auckland as squeeze goes on city spots

By Joel Maxwell

August 14, 2025

One of Auckland’s nursing schools has offered cash to its students who do clinical placements outside New Zealand’s biggest city.

August 2025

It’s on: Te Whatu Ora members vote for two days of September strikes

By Joel Maxwell

August 13, 2025

The fight for safe staffing and patient safety in hospitals has ramped up with NZNO Te Whatu Ora members voting for two days of strikes in September.

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.

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.
29 May	WellSouth Statement on Budget 2026: a missed opportunity Budget 2026 is a missed opportunity for primary care, and for the communities that depend on it most, in particular our rural people and practices.
29 May	Updated - Nurses on front lines of Ebola outbreak at serious risk In response to the gravely concerning and escalating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) warns that nurses and other frontline health workers are being put at serious risk and left fearful for their safety.
27 May	Health NZ committed to safeguarding patient information Health New Zealand welcomes the reports released today into the Manage My Health (MMH) cyber incident and is committed to ensuring all possible steps are taken to safeguard patient information.
22 May	More New Zealanders could benefit from funded vaccines from 2027 Pharmac is proposing changes that would give more New Zealanders access to funded vaccines from 2027, including expanded access to the flu vaccine for young children.
21 May	It’s not just the wallet: How the gender pay gap can hurt women’s bodies While many aspects of New Zealand’s enduring gender pay gap have been discussed, its physical impact on workers has been largely overlooked – until now.
21 May	Bupa nurses take pay equity claim over historic wage discrimination NZNO nurses working at Bupa aged residential care homes throughout Aotearoa New Zealand have raised a pay equity claim to address historic gender-based wage discrimination.
20 May	Waikato Hospital adds 10 forensic mental health beds Ten new forensic inpatient beds have been made available at the Regional Forensic Psychiatric Service at Waikato Hospital to expand forensic mental health capacity for adults in prison or on remand in Health New Zealand’s Midland region.
18 May	Strong gains in two-year immunisation target for Tamariki Māori Health New Zealand is welcoming a significant increase in Māori immunisation rates, with full immunisation at 24 months rising from just over 60 per cent in late 2024 to 71.5 per cent at the end of last month.
15 May	New global report shows empowering nurses is key to saving lives and strengthening health systems As the world marks International Nurses Day, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) is calling for urgent investment in nursing, supported by a major new global report, Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives, that presents seven key nursing powers.
14 May	Lakes and Whanganui nurses still waiting for Holiday Pay a decade on Photo by Fin Ocheduszko-Brown at Whanganui Chronicle Nurses at Lakes and Whanganui districts are calling on Te Whatu Ora to explain why after a decade of redress, they still don’t know when they will receive their full Holiday Act remediation payments, NZNO says.
13 May	Recognising the extraordinary contribution of nurses International Nurses Day is an opportunity to recognise the extraordinary role nurses play in caring for New Zealanders at every stage of life, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
12 May	Government’s decision to scrap fees free scheme will lead to further student exodus The Coalition Government’s decision to scrap the fees free policy for third year tertiary students has left nursing tauira outraged
30 Apr	BroPilot grounding digital tools in whānau, culture, and care A passion for his Māori culture and a desire to make AI accessible to everyone inspired Troy Baker, Senior ICT Specialist, Health New Zealand to develop BroPilot – a culturally grounded way of working with Microsoft Copilot that reflects Māori values, whakaaro, and real lived experience.
29 Apr	Heartbreaking tragedies were avoidable - NZNO Analysis by a media outlet, published today, finding health care staff shortages were contributing factors in the deaths of 11 babies is a national and avoidable tragedy, NZNO says.
28 Apr	CTU launches Roving Health and Safety Representatives policy on Workers’ Memorial Day The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi has today launched our Roving Health and Safety Representatives policy at the Workers’ Memorial Day commemoration in Wellington, with further events held across the motu in Manawatū, Christchurch, and Otago.
24 Apr	“The 80s Calling”: New national campaign challenges outdated HIV stigma Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey today launched Health New Zealand’s “The 80s Calling”; a provocative new campaign designed to reduce stigma, normalise conversations about HIV, and support people living with HIV.
23 Apr	Government’s attack on Māori health raised at the UN Concerns over the Coalition Government’s active reversal of policies designed to improve Māori health outcomes were raised at the United Nations in New York this morning.
16 Apr	Tribute to Professor Lester Levy’s service to healthcare Health New Zealand Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley is paying tribute to Health NZ Board Chair Professor Lester Levy, who finishes in the role at the end of the month.
10 Apr	Chronic health care assistant short staffing harming vulnerable patients Te Whatu Ora’s attempt to cut costs by requiring health care assistants to carry out cohort patient watches is harming vulnerable patients and staff, NZNO says.
9 Apr	New group education clinics speeding up knee and hip surgery care Health New Zealand is rolling out a new group education approach for people waiting for hip and knee surgery in north and west Auckland, resulting in more patients being seen sooner.
25 Mar	National Diabetes Roadmap launched to improve care, prevention, and quality of life Health New Zealand has launched a new National Diabetes Roadmap (‘the Roadmap’) to improve care, strengthen prevention, and support better health outcomes and quality of life for people living with diabetes.
24 Mar	ACT should leave nursing to professionals and medical evidence Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says ACT MP Todd Stephenson has dismissed the Nursing Council’s draft code of conduct - which proposes strengthening cultural safety, whānau-centred care and te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations - as political ideology.
23 Mar	UK report reflects ICN warnings on international recruitment ripoff — now countries must act together The International Council of Nurses (ICN) warmly welcomes a new report from the UK All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Global Health and Security that recognizes the huge sums saved by high-income countries who recruit abroad and acknowledges the severe harms caused by unethical recruitment from fragile source countries left without nurses.
20 Mar	HPV self-test boosts cervical cancer screening ‘across the board’, new study confirms Making human papillomavirus (HPV) self-testing available to all women increases the number of people screened for cervical cancer, a new study led by researchers from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington has confirmed.
19 Mar	ICN at CSW70: Violence against nurses is a gendered crisis threatening global health The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has warned that violence against nurses is a global gendered crisis that threatens health systems, patient safety and workforce sustainability
17 Mar	Additional winter health care workers a drop in the ocean of need The Government’s announcement today of 378 extra staff to help hospitals cope with winter demand is a drop in the ocean of what patients need, NZNO says.
12 Mar	Funding change will ensure more consistent emergency care for New Zealanders A simple change in how ambulance medicines are funded is set to create more consistent emergency care.
9 Mar	Questions over dilapidated and cramped renal unit forced to ration dialysis The Health Minister must explain why after years of concerns from nurses about Christchurch Hospital’s barely functioning dialysis unit, he only stepped in late yesterday when life-saving treatment had to be rationed, NZNO says.
3 Mar	Hospitals and health workers should never be targets The right of health care workers to provide care during international conflicts must be protected, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says.
2 Mar	Public and Mental Health Nurses settle collective agreement Health New Zealand welcomes the ratification of the two Public Service Association (PSA) Public and Mental Health Nurses collective employment agreements for Auckland and the Rest of New Zealand.