December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

Nursing medals from yesteryear

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

As part of the celebrations to mark the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife at the Whanganui District Health Board, a display of nursing medals was mounted in the cabinet in the main hospital corridor.

Gentle singing brings comfort

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

When words are not enough, there is always singing. This is the philosophy behind the Wellington group Whakaahuru – The Gentle Singers.

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

Infection fears at MIQs

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

Nurses working in Auckland’s managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities are being declined Christmas leave due to ongoing staff shortages, says an NZNO organiser.

Unsafe staffing reports

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

Concerns about safe staffing at managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities, particularly in Auckland, continue to be reported to NZNO, acting associate professional services manager Kate Weston said.

A Kai Tiaki journey reaches its end

By Anne Manchester

December 1, 2020

Co-editor Anne Manchester riffles through 25 years of highlights, before closing the Kai Tiaki keyboard for the last time.

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

Recent acquisitions to the NZNO library

By Heather Woods, NZNO librarian and records manager

December 1, 2020

The following is a selection of books on a range of topics that have been added to the NZNO library over the past two years, some of them new and others new to the library.

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

The changing nature of advertising in Kai Tiaki

By Wendy Maddocks

December 1, 2020

This second article of a two-part analysis looks at advertising in the second 50 years of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand’s existence and how the nature of that advertising changed, compared to the first 50 years.

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

Indigenous voices still sought for ICN

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

The South Pacific Nurses Forum (SPNF) is to form a working group to find ways of better representing indigenous nurses on the International Council of Nurses (ICN).

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

COVID spotlight an ‘opportunity’

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

Having a COVID-19 pandemic in the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife had put a “dual spotlight” on nurses and midwives, and the opportunity to advance nursing and midwifery, World Health Organization (WHO) chief nursing officer Elizabeth Iro told the forum.

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

Nurses share tales of COVID-19 at 2020 South Pacific Nurses Forum

By co-editor Mary Longmore

December 1, 2020

New Zealand and Australian nurses describe the ‘scary rollercoaster’ of working in a global pandemic, in virtual regional meeting.

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

Nurse understands grief

By co-editor Mary Longmore

December 1, 2020

Named neonatal nurse of the year for his ‘quiet’ support of families, Bernard Hutchinson knows what they are going through.

‘Race influenced who died of COVID-19’

By Hugo Robinson

December 1, 2020

Bonnie Castillo, RN, is the executive director of National Nurses United (NNU) and of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organising Committee (CNA/NNOC). She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for 2020.

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

The power of story telling in medicine

By Hugo Robinson

December 1, 2020

Emma Espiner (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Porou) was the first speaker at the Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference. She is an award-winning broadcaster and commentator who, having decided to head to medical school six years ago, will begin as a junior doctor at Middlemore Hospital next year.

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

Research journal out

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

The effect of COVID-19 on conducting research is highlighted in the 2020 issue of NZNO’s research journal, Kai Tiaki Nursing Research (KTNR).

$5000 for Lebanon’s nurses

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

NZNO’s board has agreed to donate $5000 to the International Council of Nurses (ICN) disaster fund, to support the Order of Nurses in Lebanon, following the catastrophic explosion in August this year.

Read more... $5000 for Lebanon’s nurses

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

Māori model of organising and wellbeing in pipeline

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

A draft Māori model of wellbeing and organising, He Tāngata Ara Poutama, has been presented to te poari after six months of work by NZNO Māori cultural adviser Manny Downs.

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

NZNO braces for revamp

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

NZNO will need to “punch way above its weight” to support nurses through a period of change, when the Government begins a health restructure, chief executive Memo Musa told the board.

Membership rise predicted

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

NZNO membership in the first four months of this financial year has seen a net decrease of 2.3 per cent, corporate services manager David Woltman told the board.

Members to be part of constitutional review

By Kai Tiaki editors

December 1, 2020

Representatives from the mental health nursing section and cancer nurses college will be invited to be involved in the review of NZNO’s constitution, it was agreed at November’s NZNO board meeting.

December 2020 / January 2021 vol 26 no 11

Trauma nurses ambitious for future

By Siobhan Isles

December 1, 2020

The Christchurch mosque shootings in March 2019 and the Whakaari/White Island eruption in December required trauma responses on a scale and type not previously required in this country. The trauma nursing workforce was critical to the response to both these events.

Uncut – news briefs

20 Dec	Health NZ introduces public reporting of key primary healthcare measures and PHO performance Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) has introduced public reporting of key primary healthcare measures and Primary Health Organisation (PHO) performance.
19 Dec	Quarter 1 performance report released Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora has today published its Quarterly Performance Report for Quarter 1, covering the period 1 July to 30 September 2024.
18 Dec	Recent uptick in Boostrix immunisations amid whooping cough epidemic, but work still to do As the healthcare sector continues to respond to a whooping cough (pertussis) epidemic across the motu, it’s promising to see a recent uptick in the number of Boostrix immunisations among the 15- to 44-year-old age group, with a recent doubling of doses administered from about 1,000 per week to over 2,000 per week.
18 Dec	Extra security to again keep EDs safe this summer Health Minister Dr Shane Reti is again reminding New Zealanders that violence against patients, visitors and health workers won’t be tolerated, with additional security for hospital emergency departments across the country this summer.
13 Dec	Mental health and addiction targets implementation plans released Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora has today published its first quarterly results for four of the five mental health and addiction targets, covering the period 1 July – 30 September 2024.
12 Dec	Health targets encouraging – work continues New data shows that the Government’s focus on health targets is putting the brakes on the steep decline in delivery seen over the past five years.
12 Dec	Gisborne receives mental health beds boost Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey today opened Gisborne Hospital’s new acute mental health unit, Te Whare Awhi Ora, and says the region will be better served by a bigger, more therapeutic acute mental health unit.
9 Dec	Afghan women ‘banned from nursing and midwife training’ in latest blow to rights BBC News has reported that female nursing and midwifery students in Afghanistan have been told not to return to their studies, effectively ending women’s only access to further education, and putting women and children’s lives at risk.
9 Dec	How student and early career nurses can influence policymaking The International Council of Nurses (ICN) held a webinar which highlighted the vital importance of primary and preventative health care in meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) challenging goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030
3 Dec	Health NZ end-of-year deficit confirmed In publishing its annual report, Health NZ has confirmed it ended the financial year with a deficit of $722 million, against a target surplus of $54 million.
2 Dec	ICN says COP29 climate finance shortfall threatens the planet’s health The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has expressed profound disappointment with the outcomes of COP29, held in Baku, particularly the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance that was passed despite significant objections from developing countries.
29 Nov	Minister reminds public health officials of priorities Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti says the National Public Health Service should concentrate its focus on prioritising serious public health issues facing New Zealanders.
29 Nov	Community providers rally to protect hapū māma and pēpi as national whooping cough case numbers surpass 1,000 for 2024 Hapū māmā are being urged to get immunised, and parents and caregivers are encouraged to get their babies immunised on time, as whooping cough case numbers continue to climb across Aotearoa New Zealand.
28 Nov	Govt ignores health crisis, plans to axe 1500 public health roles The health of New Zealanders will suffer because of the Government’s plan to axe nearly 1500 roles at Te Whatu Ora, coming at a time when the public health system is already under severe pressure.
27 Nov	Health New Zealand Establishes Technical Advisory Group to Lead Transformation in Maternity Care This team of experts and community representatives will play a key role in the development of the Maternity Commissioning Framework, a core element of the wider Kahu Taurima programme, which aims to make maternity and early years services more equitable, accessible, and whānau-centered.
22 Nov	Whooping Cough epidemic declared across Aotearoa New Zealand Health agencies have confirmed today that Aotearoa New Zealand is now in the early stages of a Whooping Cough epidemic, with a nationally coordinated response now in place.
20 Nov	A Global Map of Winter Depression Healthnews has released an extensive study that ranks 194 countries based on their winter-pattern Seasonal Depression Disorder (SAD) risk.
18 Nov	Potential travel disruption expected with Tuesday’s national Hīkoi Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora urges those with an appointment scheduled at Wellington Regional Hospital on Tuesday morning or early afternoon, to please allow extra time to get to appointments.
15 Nov	ICN’s calls on G20 leaders to address international health worker migration crisis Ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro next week, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) welcomes the Declarations recently adopted by the G20 Health Working Group and health ministers.
13 Nov	Measles case confirmed in Tāmaki Makaurau Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora has confirmed today that a new case of measles has been identified on Waiheke Island in Auckland. The case and their household are being supported by the National Public Health Service (NPHS), with those most at risk now in quarantine to help reduce the chance of further spread.
5 Nov	Safety fears ahead of changes to mental health 111 calls Mental Health Nurses have serious concerns about the safety of their patients, the public, their colleagues and themselves when police changes to emergency 111 calls come into effect on Monday, New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa says.
31 Oct	General practices welcome fast-track approvals process A new fast-track approval process is a good start, but more is needed to fix New Zealand’s chronic GP shortage, says the General Practice Owners Association (GenPro)
24 Oct	International Council of Nurses Bucharest Declaration priorities for the future of nursing The International Council of Nurses (ICN) marked the 125 years since its founding in 1899 with an anniversary conference held in Bucharest, Romania and hosted by the Order of Nurses, Midwives, and Medical Assistants of Romania.
10 Oct	Call to immunise now as New Zealand at high risk of whooping cough outbreak Pregnant people, babies, children and others at high risk from whooping cough are urged to get vaccinated as soon as possible, as Aotearoa New Zealand stands at high risk of an outbreak.
9 Oct	New pilot with Plunket to deliver childhood immunisations To increase access and boost immunisation rates, Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora and Whānau Āwhina Plunket will pilot the delivery of childhood immunisations at a select number of sites across the country.
8 Oct	Health NZ Begins Development of National Perinatal Bereavement Care Pathway As Baby Loss Awareness Week shines a light on the heartbreak faced by many, Health NZ is taking a compassionate and hopeful step forward in transforming the support available for whānau who experience the loss of a baby.
7 Oct	Govt takes the scalpel to regional health budgets At Labour’s insistence, Te Whatu Ora financial documents have been released by the Health Select Committee today showing more cuts are on the way for our health system.
2 Oct	Orion Health and Streamliners form strategic partnership Orion Health, a global leader in digital health solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Streamliners, creators of HealthPathways which provides an online manual used to assist with clinical assessments.
1 Oct	Rollout of new medicines across New Zealand begins Today marks the first day a range of new medicines, including cancer medicines, will start to become available in hospitals and health centres across the country.
27 Sept	New Dunedin hospital: Southerners deserve better The Government’s announcement today that it will scale back the new Dunedin hospital will negatively impact patient care, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki O Aotearoa says.
26 Sept	Govt not addressing health workforce crisis The National Government is hiding the gaps in the health workforce from New Zealanders, by not producing a full workforce plan nearly a year into their tenure.
25 Sept	New programme offers step up for jobseekers seeking a career in health and wellbeing Local jobseekers have an exciting new opportunity to begin a career in Health following the launch of a new community-based kaiāwhina programme in the Hutt Valley.
23 Sept	Ministers oblivious to cuts’ effect on families The National Government is oblivious to the impact cuts to services will have on New Zealanders who are doing the hard yards caring for mentally ill family members.
19 Sept	Wānaka community to benefit from new overnight health service Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says an Overnight Acute Care Service opening in October will provide people in Wānaka and the surrounding area with the assurance of quality overnight care closer to home.
17 Sept	Dr Le Heron takes title of 2024 Alzheimers NZ Fellow Distinguished neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist, Dr Campbell Le Heron, has been made the 2024 Alzheimers NZ Fellow for his work researching and managing cognitive disorders.
11 Sept	Aged care will be worse off if redesign rushed New Zealanders needing aged care support and the people who care for them will be worse off if the Government pushes through a flawed and rushed redesign of dementia and aged care.
11 Sept	Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today.
10 Sept	ICN launches new position statement and discussion paper setting out a revolution in the delivery of Primary Health Care The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is launching its new position statement and a discussion paper on Primary Health Care (PHC) at its Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nursing Network (NP/APN Network) Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland.
9 Sept	First cancer medicine decision following Pharmac funding boost Pharmac has decided to widen access to two medicines for several types of cancer. Pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda) will be funded from 1 October 2024 for eligible people with advanced triple-negative breast cancer, head and neck cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, and Hodgkin lymphoma. Nivolumab (branded as Opdivo) will be funded from 1 November for eligible people with kidney cancer.
6 Sept	Health agencies working with Police on rebalancing roles for mental health responses Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora and the Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora are working with Police to change some of the ways agencies respond to mental health. The change will see an increased health-led response, supporting Police to focus on core Policing.
4 Sept	Nurses’ bargaining starts with action for safe staffing Nurses are kicking off their collective bargaining with Te Whatu Ora by taking action for safe staffing on Friday, New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says.