February 2022 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

May 2022

Rural nurses struggle to access Kaitiaki online

By Janet Jin

March 25, 2022

I write in response to [associate manager professional and nursing services] Kate Weston’s reply to “A loss for rural nurses” by Liz Perales in the December 2021 issue of Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand.

April 2022

Crisis of staffing and resourcing ‘intolerable’: new NZNO chief executive shares vision

By Paul Goulter

March 7, 2022

Kia ora koutou – ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. Ko Paul Goulter tōku ingoa.

My name is Paul Goulter and I am privileged to have been appointed chief executive of NZNO Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa.

March 2022

Canterbury regional hospitals closing as COVID-19 hits nurses

By Mary Longmore

March 7, 2022

Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) is temporarily closing four of its smaller regional hospitals to prepare for COVID-related staff absences, NZNO organiser Lynley Mulrine confirmed.

March 2022

Numbers of nurses on sick/isolation leave ‘unreal’ as hospitalisations grow

By Mary Longmore and Joel Maxwell

March 7, 2022

Nurses and their families around the country are falling prey to COVID-19 as hospitalisations near 700.

March 2022

Omicron ‘significant factor’ as Employment Court halts allied health workers’ strikes

By Joel Maxwell

March 4, 2022

Planned strike action by 10,000 allied health workers was halted by an Employment Court decision that included concerns about the impact of the Omicron surge.

March 2022

Court ruling on vaccine mandate ‘not relevant’ for nurses

By Mary Longmore

March 2, 2022

A High Court judgement overturning the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for New Zealand Police/Defence Force is ‘not relevant’ for nurses, say NZNO lawyers.

March 2022

From teachers to nurses: New chief executive Paul Goulter starts at NZNO

By Joel Maxwell

February 28, 2022

Nurses and teachers could be working more closely together as the incoming NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter is welcomed to NZNO.

April 2022

Nursing magazine ditches century-old healthy-food title, finally becomes ‘guardian’

By Joel Maxwell

February 25, 2022

Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu (Although it is small, it is a treasure).
After 114 years, an incorrectly-named nursing magazine has – in a small physical correction, but big bicultural statement – gained its proper title.
Kai Tiaki magazine has now become Kaitiaki.

March 2022

Will safe staffing review be a turning point at last?

By Hilary Graham-Smith

February 25, 2022

When I got the call asking if I would be interested in participating in a review of nursing safe staffing in district health boards (DHBs) I uttered a quiet hallelujah.

March 2022

Delayed by COVID-19 surge – proposed pay equity document now set for release

By Joel Maxwell

February 24, 2022

Omicron got in the way – but now the brakes are off for setting a date on a vote for pay equity.

March 2022

HOW TO TREAT: COVID-19 in primary care

By Dee Mangin

February 24, 2022

New Zealand can draw on the experiences of health systems around the world that have been caring for COVID-19 patients in the community much longer than us.

March 2022

Emergency nurses in ‘moral distress’

By Mary Longmore

February 23, 2022

Emergency nurses are in “moral distress”, unable to provide “fundamental care” to patients, says a nurse leader.

March 2022

Government-commissioned review finds safe staffing programme ‘not fit-for-purpose’, nurses under pressure

By Joel Maxwell

February 17, 2022

Nurses are overworked, understaffed, face mental health pressure – and the safe staffing programme meant to fix this is not “fit-for-purpose” a review has found.

March 2022

Overcoming barriers to COVID-19 testing and vaccination – everything matters

By Susan Shaw and Rain Lamdin

February 16, 2022

Non-violent language and less-invasive techniques for testing and vaccination are important tools for overcoming public fear.

February 2022

‘Abuse can take many forms’: nursing student uses creative writing to share experiences

By Laura MacDonald

February 15, 2022

A grand old house, piles of old newspapers, empty whiskey bottles and a couple struggling with age and injury – student nurse Laura MacDonald was discovering the realities of community health.

February 2022

Booster deadline extends over fears ‘thousands’ of nurses would be stood down as Omicron hits

By Mary Longmore

February 15, 2022

NZNO and other unions have convinced the Government to push back the deadline for nurses and health workers to get boosted by 10 days, amid fears of losing “thousands” of nurses amid an Omicron surge.

February 2022

From technology to health: Auckland man starts nursing journey

By Joel Maxwell

February 8, 2022

A Samoan Aucklander charts a new life course — from IT to nursing.

February 2022

‘Perfect storm’ coming as Omicron collides with nurse burnout

By Mary Longmore

February 8, 2022

NZNO warns health sector will be hard hit by ‘perfect storm’ of Omicron and burnout.

February 2022

‘It’s going to be ugly’ — critical care nurse leader

By Mary Longmore

February 8, 2022

A four-hour online course is not enough to train nurses to work in intensive care during a COVID-19 surge, says NZNO’s College of Critical Care Nurses chair Tania Mitchell.

February 2022

Has the time come for nurses to gain a mega MECA?

By Joel Maxwell

February 8, 2022

A universal collective agreement for all nurses across all sectors – is it possible?

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	Exasperated Muriwai Ward nurses strike again over unsafe staffing Nurses and health care assistants working on the Muriwai Ward at Waitākere Hospital will strike for the second time this year after last ditch efforts to resolve unsafe staffing concerns with Te Whatu Ora collapsed, NZNO says.
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.