November 2023 – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

January 2024

‘Listen to us — keep us safe’: Nurses nationwide call for funding from new Government over nursing crisis

By Mary Longmore

December 1, 2023

Te Whatu Ora nurses have described gruelling workplaces, rife with burnout, violence and unsafe staffing levels, as they turn out across the country to demand more investment in their workforce.

December 2023

Language matters — patients are not ‘naughty’

By Anja Schaar

November 30, 2023

A recently graduated registered nurse shares her reflections on the power of words — and how nurses can fall in the trap of talking down to patients.

December 2023

PhD student sought for research project on elimination of tuberculosis among Māori

By Amy Jones and Sue McAllister

November 23, 2023

December 2023

It’s cool to kōrero — November 2023

By Kathy Stodart

November 23, 2023

Ngeru — cat

November 2023

What is a nurse, at the core? Nurses seek to define their role in the face of threats from other workforces

By Natalie Seymour

November 23, 2023

The profession of nursing is an ever-evolving one — and the key is to embrace a team-approach with other workers, argues aged care nurse Natalie Seymour in response to fears the role is being eroded.

December 2023

Whakarongorau’s telehealth nurses finally settle pay deal

By Mary Longmore

November 22, 2023

After eight months of negotiations, two strikes, nationwide rallies and mediation, frontline nurses have finally voted to accept a new offer from national telehealth service Whakarongorau — calling off two looming strikes.

December 2023

Your mission: To use antimicrobials wisely

By He Ako Hiringa

November 21, 2023

There are many ways that health professionals can help prevent antimicrobial resistance, a worldwide problem which threatens the effectiveness of these important drugs.

December 2023

Prioritise nursing workforce — Te Whatu Ora union meetings will send strong message to new Government

By Mary Longmore

November 20, 2023

As health budgets are being set, now is the time for Te Whatu Ora nurses, kaiāwhina and other workers to turn out and be heard by the new Government, say NZNO-Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa members.

December 2023

Frenemies to friends? As nurses fear being edged from their profession, caregivers are demanding more respect

By Mary Longmore

November 17, 2023

Nurses are feeling under threat from less qualified workers — while kaiāwhina are demanding clarity and respect for their role, leading to a challenging kōrero for NZNO-Tōpūtanga Tapuhi o Kaitiaki Aotearoa and the wider health system.

November 2023

Will some of your older patients be on their own these holidays?

By Hato Hone St John

November 16, 2023

Nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals can play a key role in helping to ensure the continued wellbeing of older patients. Sometimes, it’s as simple as just checking in about their holiday plans.

December 2023

NOVEMBER 2023 crossword

By Kathy Stodart

November 9, 2023

Print out the grid (using PRINT tab at the bottom right of this page) and use the clues below. October answers are below the clues.

Māori nurses must be recognised as taonga — and key to a future with equal health for all

By Denise Wilson

November 8, 2023

50 years after nurse education moved out of hospitals, Māori health professor and former nurse Denise Wilson reflects on the “ugly” backlash over cultural safety — and challenges the profession to make way for Māori leaders.

December 2023

The benefits of a bedside nursing handover

By Nicole Simonson

November 8, 2023

Nursing educators emphasise the benefits of bedside nursing handover. A final-year nursing student was surprised to find she never saw it happen during her clinical placements.

December 2023

2024 skills and training scholarships offered to union members and families

By Sheryl Cadman

November 3, 2023

The Northern Drivers’ Charitable Trust (NDCT) is a registered charitable trust that was established in 1987.

November 2023

Nurses celebrate 50 years of tertiary education — but fear for its future

By Mary Longmore

November 3, 2023

New Zealand nurses are celebrating 50 years since nurse training began moving out of hospitals and into the education sector — but warn tertiary funding pressures and a pay gap of up to $40,000 for lecturers are putting the future of nursing education at risk.

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

Navigating youth mental health

By Hiran Thabrew, David Chinn and Karin Isherwood

October 26, 2023

Mental health is a dynamic spectrum that ranges from a state of wellbeing, through mental distress, to mental disorder or illness. Consultations with young people (rangatahi) may be challenging due to the various presentations of mental health issues and the range of services and treatment options they may require.

November 2023

It’s cool to kōrero — October 2023

By Kathy Stodart

October 26, 2023

Kurī — dog.

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.

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.

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.