NZNO in the news

The Nursing Council chief executive is latest in a string of resignations after its board was gutted by Health Minister Simeon Brown, NZNO says. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says Nursing Council staff were told today that Catherine Byrne has resigned her...

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Nurses and tauira from around the Aotearoa will descend on Auckland this week for the annual Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa hui-ā-tau and Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference. Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa NZNO's annual Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference takes place at Te Mahurehure Marae in Tāmaki...

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A decision by the New Zealand Nursing Council to pause part of its recertification process will put patients at risk, NZNO says.  Every year the Nursing Council audits five percent of practising nurses to provide assurance that nurses are meeting continuing competence...

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Mums and their newborn babies are missing out because Plunket services are running on shoestring budgets with skeleton staffing, and their health needs are unable to be met, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says. NZNO national delegate and Plunket nurse Kelly Morrissey says due to...

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Te Whatu Ora must reassure Wellingtonians it is adopting recommendations made by the Health and Disability Commissioner after a damning report was released today, NZNO says. The report followed a complaint to the Commissioner by a 55-year-old man who went to Wellington Regional Hospital in...

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At a time when health care is falling into a deeper crisis with emergency departments bursting at the seams, wards overflowing and workers overworked due to chronic understaffing, Aotearoa’s largest employer of nurses plans to hire less than two-thirds of the nursing graduate cohort over...

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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. A summary of an urgent clinical review was released by Te Whatu Ora this afternoon. The rapid review was ordered after reports the man,...

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Te Whatu Ora’s inability to answer basic questions about staffing levels shows an independent inquiry into the tragic death of a patient in the Waikato emergency department must be held, NZNO says. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter says NZNO’s...

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Minister of Health Simeon Brown has gutted the Nursing Council in a ministerial overreach which fails to focus on patient safety and gets ahead of his own deregulation process, NZNO says. The Nursing Council board consists of up to 14 members and is a mixture of Ministerial appointees and...

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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. Simeon Brown today announced a 4% increase of $79 million for...

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A coalition promise to "ensure Plunket is funded to do their job properly" was forgotten in Budget 26, NZNO says. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO national delegate and Plunket nurse Hannah Cook says Budget 26 papers show the promise was an outstanding commitment between...

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Budget 26 fails to address unmet health needs or nursing workforce shortages and leaves Māori worse off, NZNO says. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says Budget 26 is a "money go-round" which requires the health sector to do even more with even...

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NZNO nurses working at Bupa aged residential care homes throughout Aotearoa New Zealand have raised a pay equity claim to address historic gender-based wage discrimination.  Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO has more than 380 registered nurse members...

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NZNO nurses, midwives and health care assistants working for Te Whatu Ora have voted to accept the latest Collective Agreement offer following a close secret ballot which closed this afternoon.  More than 38,000 Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa...

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Nurses at Lakes and Whanganui districts are calling on Te Whatu Ora to explain why after a decade of redress, they still don’t know when they will receive their full Holiday Act remediation payments, NZNO says. While current Te Whatu Ora workers at all other 18 districts have received...

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The Coalition Government’s decision to scrap the fees free policy for third year tertiary students has left nursing tauira outraged Finance Minister Nicola Willis confirmed at the weekend the Government will scrap the fees free tertiary scheme to third-year students in the upcoming...

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A new survey of 186 nurses and care staff at Christchurch’s Hillmorton Hospital has revealed a disturbing picture of overworked staff too scared to speak out about the state of the facility, NZNO says. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO delegate and Hillmorton nurse Sarah Jane...

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A year after the Coalition Government brutally scrapped their Pay Equity claims, the rising cost of living and the fuel crisis is compounding the financial struggle for undervalued and hardworking nurses and their whānau, NZNO says. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO last September...

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Analysis by a media outlet, published today, finding health care staff shortages were contributing factors in the deaths of 11 babies is a national and avoidable tragedy, NZNO says. The analysis by Stuff into the deaths which date back to 2016 also found staffing issues were identified in a...

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Nurses, midwives and health care assistants who are members of NZNO have received a proposed terms of settlement offer from Te Whatu Ora. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter says the offer was the first received since June 2025. "It will now be up to...

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Staff at Summerset Avonford and Summerset Cavendish in Chrischurch will picket outside their respective aged residential care homes over fewer staff being rostered on the weekends. About 30 union members of Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO and E tū will walk off the job...

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Concerns over the Coalition Government’s active reversal of policies designed to improve Māori health outcomes were raised at the United Nations in New York this morning. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku told the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues...

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Te Whatu Ora’s attempt to cut costs by requiring health care assistants to carry out cohort patient watches is harming vulnerable patients and staff, NZNO says.  Patient watches involve trained and experienced health care...

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Te Whatu Ora must explain why its rolling out new uniforms for nurses and health care assistants nationwide at a time when patients are struggling to get the care they need because of short-staffing and under-resourcing, NZNO says. In an internal email seen by NZNO, Te Whatu Ora has told...

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Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO apologises sincerely and unreservedly for the involvement of nurses in historic abuses in state care. The apology was made in a video by NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku and published today on the organisation’s website. It has already been shared...

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The ACT Party should leave nursing to the professionals and medical evidence, NZNO says. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says ACT MP Todd Stephenson has dismissed the Nursing Council’s draft code of conduct - which proposes strengthening cultural...

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The Government’s announcement today of 378 extra staff to help hospitals cope with winter demand is a drop in the ocean of what patients need, NZNO says.  Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Chief Executive...

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The Health Minister must explain why after years of concerns from nurses about Christchurch Hospital’s barely functioning dialysis unit, he only stepped in late yesterday when life-saving treatment had to be rationed, NZNO says. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses...

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Nurses, midwives and health care assistants throughout Aotearoa New Zealand will wear purple on Friday to show their support for Pay Equity - and urge all New Zealanders to join them. The Go Purple day is in recognition of International Women’s Day on Sunday. The NZNO members will be...

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The right of health care workers to provide care during international conflicts must be protected, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says. NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says hospitals and health care workers are increasingly being targeted in war torn nations. "Hospitals and...

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Te Whatu Ora needs to go back to the drawing board and prioritise worker safety after reversing plans to charge hospital workers market rates for car parks, NZNO says.  Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO delegate and Christchurch health care assistant Al...

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Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO has expressed disgust at the shooting and killing of nurse Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis, US street on Saturday morning by federal officers. Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says the organisation is increasingly concerned at the callous and aggressive attacks...

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A  recent NZNO survey of emergency department nurses working over the Christmas/New Year period has revealed the vast majority were subjected to abuse over the festive season. NZNO College of Emergency Nurses spokesperson Natasha Hemopo says 84% of survey respondents reported...

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The passing of Dame Karen Poutasi has seen Aotearoa lose one of its foremost health leaders and a woman of high integrity, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says. “Dame Karen was an extraordinary woman who led from the front. She was principled, devoted...

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About 80% of nurses working in primary health care have considered leaving their jobs in the past six months a survey by Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO has found.  NZNO recently conducted a survey of its members working in primary health care (see findings below). Of those,...

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Crest Hospital staff, who are members of NZNO, will strike tomorrow (Tuesday, 2 December) over the employer’s refusal to allow lower paid workers to join their collective. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) delegate and nurse Susan Norma White...

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Te Whatu Ora’s hire numbers for this year’s nursing graduates are an improvement, but some new nurses could still be packing their bags for Australia, NZNO student representatives say. Te Whatu Ora today committed to employing 1800 of 2200 nursing graduates by 30 June 2026. Offers...

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Unions representing workers from essential health, education and public services have written to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to urge him to resolve impasses with their respective collective bargaining. The letter was sent by unions representing teachers, doctors, firefighters, nurses,...

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Most New Zealanders – 83% – believe patient safety is at risk because there are not enough nurses, new polling by Talbot Mills Research has found.  The polling commissioned by Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO and released today in full, also found 94% of New...

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The decision to ban new prescriptions for puberty blockers will hurt young people, the NZNO College of Child and Youth Nurses (CCYN) Tapuhitia Ngā Mokopuna Mō Apōpō says. Minister of Health Simeon Brown yesterday announced a halt to new prescription of GnRH analogues for young transgender...

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Two-thirds of New Zealanders believe the state of the New Zealand public health system is poor, a new poll by Talbot Mills Research has found. These findings are being released as more than 37,500 of NZNO’s Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora begin...

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Coroner’s findings into the death of Taranaki man Len Collett put Te Whatu Ora on notice that "consciously deciding" to under-resource the local Emergency Department creates a high risk of "another catastrophic event", NZNO says. Coroner Ian Telford today released...

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The Minister of Health must protect the integrity of the Nursing Council as the regulator for registered nurses, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says. The call follows an announcement by the Education Minister Erica Stanford that professional standard setting functions for teachers...

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The Minister of Health’s failure to appoint a nurse to the new Primary Care Advisory Group is an insult to nurses, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says. Simeon Brown has announced appointments to the advisory group set up to provide specialist advice on the future of primary...

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Two-week partial strike action to highlight unsafe staffing levels will be undertaken by more 37,500 of NZNO’s Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO members voted strongly today to take two weeks of partial...

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Political debate on fixing Aotearoa New Zealand’s broken funding model for primary health care is an important first step but needs a bipartisan approach, NZNO says. The Labour Party today announced a policy to provide all New Zealanders three free GP visits a year, funded through the...

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Aotearoa New Zealand will witness historic events next Thursday when more than 100,000 essential workers take part in strikes around the country to call on the Coalition Government to properly fund their vital public services. Essential public service workers including teachers, doctors,...

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A new research report which interviewed 80 nurses and health care assistants in the aged care sector reveals the disturbing impact on our elderly of an under-staffed and under-funded sector, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says. The NZNO report Care in Crisis: Manaaki i te Raru also...

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Frustration over the Department of Corrections’ refusal to address safety issues and other concerns raised in bargaining has led to prison nurses and health care assistants voting to take strike action, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says. About 400 NZNO nurses and health...

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Frustration over their patient safety concerns remaining unaddressed after a year of bargaining has resulted in more than 36,000 NZNO nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora voting to take further strike action. The Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO members today...

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