March 2025 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

March 2025

Raising the voice of specialist diabetes nurses — college steps up for patients

By Amanda de Hoop

April 1, 2025

Supporting post-graduate diabetes education, highlighting workforce shortages, and being visible — these are the aims of NZNO’s Aotearoa college of diabetes nurses, writes chair Amanda de Hoop.

March 2025

‘Recovery capital’ in addiction treatment: What is it, and why is it important?

By Brent DONCLIFF

March 31, 2025

Health professionals have a vital role in putting addicts in touch with the inner and outer resources that will support them on the road to recovery.

March 2025

Are you a late-career nurse or caregiver? Fill out this survey about your career

By Kathy Stodart

March 31, 2025

If you’re a late-career nurse or caregiver — aged 50 and above — an important new workforce survey is seeking your opinions about your career.

March 2025

Changes to NZNO membership fees

By Paul Goulter

March 31, 2025

It is the usual practice that NZNO increases membership fees each year according to the consumer price index (CPI).

March 2025

Bupa aged-care workers prepare to hīkoi in protest over proposed cuts

By Mary Longmore

March 28, 2025

Aged-care workers are preparing to hīkoi from the Auckland Domain to Bupa’s head office in Newmarket next Tuesday, a day before the profit-making global company reveals whether it’s going ahead with cuts to worker hours at 17 care homes around the country.

March 2025

Māori nursing leaders fight attack on Māori health – SOS to United Nations underway

By Renee Kiriona

March 28, 2025

In the last two remaining NZNO leadership profiles, Kaitiaki talks to Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa NZNO kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku and tumu whakarae Tracy Black. They share the mahi done so far and their focus for the rest of the year.

March 2025

Mental health nurse leader slams ‘distracting’ associate psychologist role

By Mary Longmore

March 26, 2025

Mental health nurse leader Helen Garrick says a new associate psychologist role being introduced here is a “distraction from the shortage of psychiatrists and mental health nurses”.

March 2025

Help write the last chapter on cervical cancer

By Maria De Cort

March 25, 2025

It’s not often we can shout about a good news cancer story, but we have one shaping up and you can be a part of it.

March 2025

Primary health-care nurses take offer but pay parity still on their radar

By Renee Kiriona

March 25, 2025

Primary health-care nurses are one step closer to getting the same pay as their fellow nurses working in hospitals or at Te Whatu Ora.

March 2025

Māori health professor with terminal bowel cancer on what screening changes really mean

By Joel Maxwell

March 24, 2025

Is it robbing Pita to save Paul? Redirecting bowel cancer screening cash will save more Pākehā lives, not more Māori lives, explains nurse and health professor Jacquie Kidd who got her terminal bowel cancer diagnosis before her own test kit arrived in the mail.

March 2025

Napier stands with Buller – kaumātua recall last closure

By Renee Kiriona

March 21, 2025

Communities in small towns and cities, where vital health services are being threatened, are getting behind the Buller Declaration to demand action from the Government.

March 2025

NZNO Pacific nurse leader recognised after 40 years of nursing

By Mary Longmore

March 20, 2025

NZNO Pacific nurse leader Abel Smith has been awarded life membership by the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), for his work in Pacific nursing over 40 years.

March 2025

I love my country, but it doesn’t want me

By Sarah Elisaia

March 19, 2025

A young New Zealand nurse explains why she left for Australia — her childhood dream of nursing had rapidly turned to burnout.

March 2025

‘We can turn this around’: Nurses’ emotional plea for a safer health-care system

By Mary Longmore

March 17, 2025

Nurses can be change agents for a better health system, say leaders at NZNO’s 2025 college and section forum.

March 2025

Speaking out ‘daunting but worth it’ — nurses share wins, hopes and challenges

By Mary Longmore

March 17, 2025

More than 50 NZNO college and section members and staff gathered in Wellington earlier this month to share their mahi and figure out how to be the leading professional voice in their fields.

March 2025

‘Scary time’ for workers trying to improve Māori health

By Renee Kiriona

March 14, 2025

“It is a very scary time right now for nurses, whānau ora navigators and other kaimahi working to keep Māori communities alive longer,” says Tracey Morgan, chair of NZNO’s College of Primary Health Care Nurses.

March 2025

New website discusses health needs of New Zealand and Pacific nations

By Jocelyn Peach

March 12, 2025

Nursing has much to be proud of over the past 120 years. We can learn from how nurse leaders have managed situations in the past that are not dissimilar to challenges that we face today.

March 2025

Bowel cancer screening changes ‘dangerous for Māori’, say Māori health leaders

By Mary Longmore

March 11, 2025

Changes to free bowel cancer screening age eligiblity will leave more Māori and Pacific people at risk of dying, say nursing and Māori health leaders.

March 2025

‘Distressed IQNs, a distressed domestic workforce, and distressed new graduates’ — a nursing pipeline and workforce in crisis

By Kathy Stodart

March 11, 2025

The Government spent more than $50 million on the recruitment and education of migrant nurses in the two years after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions ended, which has led to a serious imbalance in the nursing workforce.

March 2025

‘They’ve got no heart for people’ — hīkoi planned over Bupa’s proposed cuts

By Mary Longmore

March 10, 2025

After 23 years working at Bupa’s Sunset facility, enrolled nurse (EN) Epenesa Mutimuti says she will walk away if a proposal to cut staff and hours goes ahead.

8 May	NZ First’s gender definition bill will harm mental health, counsellors warn The New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) is deeply concerned by New Zealand First’s proposed Member’s Bill, which seeks to legally define “man” and “woman” solely based on biological sex.
6 May	Police and Health NZ continue to implement mental health response changes Phase Two of the Police Mental Health Response Change Programme is set to be extended with a second group of districts implementing Phase Two from 19 May.
1 May	New weekend urgent care service launched in Tairāwhati Access to urgent healthcare on weekends will be restored in Tairāwhati this Saturday (3 May 2025) with the launch of a new service, Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced.
29 Apr	Taupō Hospital accredited to train next generation of rural doctors Taupō Hospital has become the first hospital in the North Island to receive accreditation to deliver Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) training, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey have announced.
14 Apr	Rural Health Roadshow to hear from rural communities Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Rural Health and Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey announced today he will be coming to 12 rural locations across the country on a Rural Health Roadshow, starting this week in Levin.
10 Apr	Expanded emergency department at Auckland City Hospital will see capacity increase Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened Auckland City Hospital’s newly refurbished adult emergency department.
1 Apr	Health NZ wants your feedback on a Paediatric Adolescent and Young Adult Palliative Model of Care Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) is seeking feedback on potential options for national palliative care services for tamariki, rangatahi/children, young people and their whānau/families.
27 March	Bar still too high for small mental health providers Small mental health providers will still be locked out of co-funding from the Mental Health Innovation Fund despite a lower threshold.
25 March	ICN advocates for health system gender equity and women’s health The International Council of Nurses (ICN) brought the nursing voice to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) which wrapped up on Friday. ICN participated in critical discussions on gender equity and women’s health throughout the event.
19 March	ICN warns of healthcare crisis as USAID funding cuts devastate nursing initiatives in the world’s most vulnerable regions The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has documented alarming firsthand evidence of widespread disruption and collapse of essential health care services following the sudden withdrawal of USAID and other funding.
19 March	New High Dependency Unit will expand critical care services in Wellington Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened Wellington Regional Hospital’s first High Dependency Unit (HDU).
13 March	Pharmac to fund more cancer medicines Pharmac is funding six more medicines for cancers and one for antibiotic resistant infections.
28 Feb	Pharmac CE resigns The Board of Pharmac wishes to announce that its Chief Executive for the last 7 years, Sarah Fitt, has resigned effective from 30 May 2025.
25 Feb	ICN issues updated statement on health care in conflict, calling for peace and compliance with international humanitarian law In recent years, the world has witnessed a disturbing increase in conflicts and wars, placing immense strain on health systems and exacerbating human suffering. Nurses have been at the forefront of these crises, responding to emergencies, supporting recovery efforts, and providing essential care to those affected by violence and displacement.
21 Feb	ICN’s new guidance on integrating nurse leaders into heart of health workforce planning The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has published a practical guide to including nurses in workforce planning decisions.
17 Feb	ICN warns of effect of US withdrawal from WHO on nurse-led services The International Council of Nurses (ICN) warned that the withdrawal of the United States from WHO has already halted some nurse-led services, including vaccination programmes and care for people with HIV/AIDS.
17 Feb	Minister acknowledges outgoing Director-General Health Minister Simeon Brown has today acknowledged the resignation of Director-General of Health and Chief Executive of the Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Sarfati, and thanked her for her service.
12 Feb	Pharmac funds medicines for liver, ovarian, and neuroendocrine cancers People with liver, ovarian, and neuroendocrine cancers will have access to more medicines from 1 March 2025.
11 Feb	Consultation begins on work to improve patient access to medical devices Pharmac is continuing to improve the way medical devices are managed for New Zealanders, today opening consultation on its comprehensive list of medical devices used by public hospitals.
3 Feb	First Whānau Āwhina Plunket site in NZ delivering childhood vaccinations Childhood immunisations are now being delivered at a Whānau Āwhina Plunket site in Whāngarei, with other regions soon to also provide the new service.
29 Jan	Local access to specialist audiology services comes to Wairarapa A newly established out-patient clinic for ear, nose, and throat (ENT) and audiology appointments is providing Wairarapa patients with local access to specialist hearing services for the first time.
29 Jan	Pharmac reconsiders oestradiol patch options following community feedback Pharmac is reviewing and reconsidering its oestradiol patch options after considerable feedback was received when it announced a move to a single funded brand late last year.
22 Jan	Consultations for cancer and ADHD medicines close soon Pharmac is encouraging people to have their say on proposals to fund six more medicines and change the brand of one medicine before consultation closes on 27 January.