October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Record turnout as DHB members accept offer

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 15, 2021

After 15 months of bargaining, a nationwide strike and countless meetings, the members have spoken.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Offer on the table for DHB members, other sectors await voting outcome

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

As the countdown begins for the ratification vote on the DHB MECA, other industrial sectors come to grips with COVID-19.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

New NZNO leadership team after board election results

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

NZNO has a new president and vice president after September’s board election. Anne Daniels was elected president and Nano Tunnicliff was elected vice president after voting closed on September 10.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Financial statement outlined at AGM

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

NZNO management will take a microscope to spending to cut a cashflow shortfall, the 2021 annual general meeting has heard.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Nurses ‘will be involved in shaping changes’

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

Nurses will “absolutely” have input on how health reforms roll out next year, according to the man in charge of the transition.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Nursing panel to investigate missed CCDM deadline

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

Two former NZNO staff members have been appointed to a four-nurse panel to investigate why the safe staffing accord missed its deadline.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Hospital visitors must be limited in a pandemic

By acting manager nursing and professional services Kate Weston

October 1, 2021

In September 2021, NZNO supported members at Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) who had put in place a provisional improvement notice (PIN), citing health and safety concerns over a permissive visitor policy.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Panel discusses challenges of living and learning through a pandemic

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

Microbiologist and science communicator Siouxsie Wiles spoke on NZNO’s panel on living through a pandemic about the “huge” amount of harassment she had been subjected to since becoming a public educator on COVID-19 last April.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Hutchison honoured for setting up nurse-led palliative and oncology services on Coast

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

Retiring nurse manager Cheryl Hutchison received NZNO’s services to nursing award at the AGM, an acknowledgement of her work to set up nurse-led palliative and oncology services on the West Coast.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Kai Tiaki online only from 2022

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand will be heading exclusively online by 2022, but will still be accessible to NZNO members through a simple online registration.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Award of honour ‘pretty special’: Leonie Metcalfe

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

NZNO’s award of honour recipient Leonie Metcalfe has spent her life sticking up for the underdog.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

DHBs obliged to staff safely in latest offer

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

The latest offer from district health boards, in multi-employer collective agreement (MECA) negotiations with NZNO, allows DHBs to be penalised and health services cut back if they are not able to be safely staffed.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Young nurse of the year: Daniel Mataafa

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

It was a high school injury on the rugby field in 2009 which spun Daniel Mataafa unexpectedly on to the nursing track.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Farewell to esteemed Whanganui nurse

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

Ailsa Crawford Stewart’s contribution to the Whanganui community was immense. The former hospital matron, staunch women’s advocate and community stalwart died in Whanganui Hospital in August, at age 77.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Nuku: Nursing voice needed in reforms

By co-editor Joel Maxwell

October 1, 2021

Te Rūnanga has worked hard to understand the long game of political decision-making, says the re-elected kaiwhakahaere.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Daniels: It’s time for collective action

By co-editor Joel Maxwell

October 1, 2021

Safe staffing, better working conditions and pay equity across nursing sectors will be the focus of NZNO’s new president.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Zooming in on 2021

By co-editors Mary Longmore and Joel Maxwell

October 1, 2021

A future vision of a thriving health system, updates on safe staffing and handling difficult assisted dying conversations, were among topics covered when speakers zoomed in for the 2021 NZNO conference Our future – the health of Aotearoa last month. Just over 200 people registered for the online event.

Improving quality in a fracture service

By Claire Budge, Melanie Taylor and Paula Eyres

October 1, 2021

Quality improvement (QI) should be an integral part of health service delivery. As best practice principles evolve and system changes are demanded, services need to be evaluated and assessed to ensure they are being run as effectively and efficiently as possible, while meeting the ever-changing needs of practitioners and their patients.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

The needle’s edge: our COVID-19 future

By Kai Tiaki editors

October 1, 2021

Alice Gillan-Sutton, first-year Massey nursing student, faces a workplace future that hasn’t been contemplated in decades.

October 2021 vol 27 no 9

Nursing Research Section supports nurses’ growth

By Lorraine Ritchie and Priya Saravanakumar

October 1, 2021

Nau mai, haere mai ki a koutou e te whānau tapuhi. Te Roopu Nursing Research Section/Te Wāhanga Rangahau Tapuhi (NRS) is one of a number of colleges and sections which form the professional arm of NZNO.

Uncut – news briefs

12 June	Unions take pay equity fight to the ILO New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges has taken the pay equity fight to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference in Geneva, Switzerland. The ILO is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards.
5 June	Refreshed strategy released to tackle gambling harm Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey today announced that the Government has released the refreshed Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm.
3 June	ICN launches new topic brief underscoring vital role of nurses to protect the planet, human health and all life on Earth The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has released a new topic brief titled “Nursing for Planetary Health and Wellbeing”, emphasizing the vital role nurses play in addressing the health impacts of our shared environmental crises. The brief highlights the emerging concept of planetary health and stresses the urgency to recognize and take action to reduce the impacts that human disruptions to Earth’s natural systems are having on the health of individuals and communities.
13 May	On International Nurses Day a new State of the World’s Nursing Report charts a path toward Universal Health Coverage As the world’s nurses celebrate International Nurses Day (IND), ICN issues a rallying cry to governments around the globe for urgent nursing support, following the launch of the second World Health Organization (WHO) State of the World’s Nursing (SOWN) report.
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.