Nursing reports

New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) media release, 8 August 2019

The Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference begins at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland tomorrow. NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says the conference will be unique in that it is Māori-run and about maintaining the authenticity and integrity of Tikanga throughout. But she says most of all it will be empowering.

“The system in general has beaten down our confidence so we want the conference to be about “fire in the belly” and being proud to be Māori, advocating for the health of the people and communities who most need it.”

The theme of the conference is ‘Raising an Army of Māori Nurses’, which harks back to words spoken by Māori politician Apirana Ngata early in the 20^th Century, who called for just such an army.

“Back in the 1900s, with the onslaught of epidemics killing Māori, they raised and army of Māori nurses to go out there and work in the community. We need to be doing that again now because our people are dying at the same rates from non-communicable diseases such as heart disease,” Ms Nuku said.

“The system simply isn’t working for our people and we need to look at alternative approaches – and that’s about raising the Māori nursing workforce army.”

She says a major theme of the conference will be the Waitangi Tribunal’s recommendation for a complete redesign of New Zealand’s primary health system to better meet the needs of Māori  – a result of the Wai 2575 inquiry to which Te Rūnanga was a party.

“A particular issue for us is the 25 per cent pay disparity for nurses working in Māori organisations compared to those working in district health boards,” Ms Nuku said.

Today (Thursday 8 March) Te Rūnanga members and some conference attendees will visit Ihumātao to both show support and help where they can.

“We want to show Te Rūnanga’s solidarity with the peaceful protest of our brothers and sisters because our connection to the whenua is intrinsic to our health and wellbeing,” Ms Nuku said.

“But we also want to go there as health professionals to support and provide health care assistance. There are nurses actively working at Ihumātao and we want to provide some support to them as they need it.”

The Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference will take place at the Pullman Hotel, Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), 9-10 August.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media advisory, 6 August 2019

What: the Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference 2019
When: 9-10 August
Where: Pullman Hotel, Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland)

New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku invites media to attend the Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference 2019.

The theme of the conference is “Raising an Army of Māori Nurses”.

The opening address will be given by Annette Sykes at 10:35am on 9 August. A wide range of other speakers will also present over the course of the two days. Details can be found in the conference programme which is available at https://www.nzno.org.nz/hui.

Both days of the conference will also be livestreamed to this page.

The Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards will be presented at the Conference dinner on Saturday 10 August. These are jointly awarded by PHARMAC and Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa/NZNO, and are in two categories: Nurse Practitioner/Nurse Prescribing Award; Māori Nurse Mātauranga. The winners will receive a share of $10,000 in each category.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 26 July 2019

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says an emerging crisis at Middlemore Hospital demonstrates the serious problems district health boards (DHBs) are facing in recruiting and retaining nurses.

On Tuesday ambulances to Middlemore were diverted to Auckland and Northshore Hospitals due to a lack of capacity, including lack of beds, understaffing and the emergency department being under pressure. Counties Manukau DHB has requested nurses from Auckland DHB to provide emergency relief.

However, it has been confirmed to NZNO that Auckland Hospital is also at full capacity and has suggested that Counties Manukau DHB request emergency assistance from the New Zealand Defence Force instead.

NZNO Organiser Justine Sachs said this sort of thing happening outside of a civil emergency situation should send alarm bells to those holding the purse strings and responsible for resource and workforce planning. 

“Nurses are at breaking point; many telling us they are leaving the profession or going to work overseas because of intolerable workloads.

“Delays caused by diverting ambulances to other hospitals puts patients at serious risk and puts pressure on other hospitals also struggling to cope because they are under-staffed and under-resourced.”

Ms Sachs said increased demand on the public health system should be expected during the winter season and that contingency plans that include having options for patients to being admitted in other hospitals and sufficient nurses on staff should be in place to cope with increased demand.

“Given the enormous stress on our under-resourced health system it’s frightening to contemplate how hospitals in the Auckland region would cope should there be a significant catastrophic event.”

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 27 June 2019

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) has today received the Gold Membership Inclusiveness/Representativeness Award given annually by the International Council of Nurses (ICN).

The Award recognises NZNO’s membership inclusiveness and diversity, with the Gold level reserved for a national nursing association that (at 31 March) had at least 75 per cent of its country’s nurses as members. The census NZNO submitted to the ICN, when compared with New Zealand Nursing Council figures, indicates that 76 per cent of nurses in Aotearoa New Zealand belonged to NZNO at 31 March.

The Award was presented to NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku and NZNO President Grant Brookes at the 2019 ICN Congress held in Singapore (27 June-1 July) hosted by the Singapore Nurses Association. NZNO Chief Executive Memo Musa was also in attendance.

NZNO is one of the oldest members of the ICN having joined in 1912, just eight years after the ICN’s formation. Each NZNO member automatically becomes a member of the ICN and Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said this was a real privilege.

“The ICN works to ensure quality nursing care, sound health policies and the advancement of nursing knowledge on a worldwide scale. So whether as individuals, or as an organisation, member participation is an opportunity for us to participate and collaborate in global initiatives.

“So, to be acknowledged for the hard work we do in serving and representing our diverse membership base is a significant honour.”

President Grant Brookes said NZNO’s membership had grown every year since the early 1980s, and that the Award was a great and fitting tribute to past generations of NZNO members and leaders.

“NZNO has a long history in Aotearoa New Zealand and on the world stage of nursing and this Award is not just for us. It is also for those who have gone before, who laid the foundation for NZNO to be successful in representing the interests, aspirations and view of members both professionally and industrially.”

The International Council of Nurses is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations representing more than 20 million nurses worldwide.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 7 June 2019

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) has written an urgent letter to the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board (HBDHB) saying difficult working conditions faced by nurses are seriously compromising both staff and patient safety.

NZNO Professional Nursing Adviser Anne Brinkman said that what the union and professional association is hearing from HBDHB members is alarming but that no response from management has been received to alleviate nurses’ expressions of concern.

“Nursing staff have been expressing and documenting their health and safety concerns with management repeatedly and at every shift because they pose a significant danger to both patients and staff. Despite this, no response has been received from management and nothing has happened to mitigate these systemic weaknesses.”

Ms Brinkman said there has been increasing disquiet about risks arising from high bed occupancy, inadequate staff numbers and skills mix and increasing incidents of violence and aggression by patients.

“Staff are fearful and say their ability to care for patients has been seriously diminished. Managers at HBDHB must recognise their responsibility to staff under the Health and Safety at Work Act and promptly produce an action plan to resolve these concerns.”

She says nurses are leaving their shifts in tears and many are actively seeking alternative employment.

“This is a really serious concern as recruiting to nursing vacancies and retention of nursing staff has already been identified as an ongoing problem at the DHB.”

She also says the impact of the resident doctors’ strikes has been significantly underestimated and that the strikes could not have gone ahead without the tangible support of nurses at an already difficult time.

NZNO has asked HBDHB to account for how it will address the health and safety concerns raised by nurses in the short- and medium-term, and has requested a response within one week.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

PHARMAC-Te Pātaka Whaioranga and New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release

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The 2019 Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards, jointly awarded by PHARMAC and Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa/New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and presented in August will both celebrate and support Māori nurses to continue in their studies and improve their clinical practice. Nominations/applications are now open.

This is the second year of the annual Awards that recognise the positive impact Māori nurses have on whānau and the role they play as key influencers on health outcomes.

Both PHARMAC and Te Rūnanga want to advance the Māori nursing workforce and strengthen their relationships with Māori health professional groups. PHARMAC has a strategic goal of eliminating the inequities in access to medicines that mean Māori are not getting the same benefits from funded medicines as other New Zealanders.

The Awards are in two categories, with the winners in each receiving a share of $10,000. Winners are selected by a joint PHARMAC – Te Rūnanga panel. 

The first Award category, Nurse Practitioner/Nurse Prescriber, acknowledges and supports nurses who are working towards qualifying as a nurse prescriber. The second, Mātauranga Māori, is open to nurses (enrolled and registered) and tauira who wish to further their study and/or would like to develop an innovative way to assist whānau, hapū and iwi to access and understand their medicines.

PHARMAC's Director of Engagement and Implementation Alison Hill says, “PHARMAC recognises that Māori nurses and nurse prescribers can make a huge difference to the health of people in their communities. We know a strong Māori workforce is one of the keys to eliminating inequities in medicines access for Māori.

“The Awards are a way to offer tautoko and manaaki (support and respect) to an incredible, hard-working and sometimes unrecognised workforce. The skills, training, expertise and example of the Māori nurse are fundamental to improving the wellbeing of whānau and communities. We want to acknowledge, encourage and celebrate that.”

Te Rūnanga Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says the Awards are also a way to encourage Māori nurses to take the next step to advance their clinical practice.

“Māori nurses work with, and often come from, the more deprived communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. This means they are uniquely placed to help whānau, hapū and iwi better access and understand their medicines.

“Through these Awards we acknowledge that uniqueness and hope to encourage Māori nurses to become even more clinically and culturally competent.”

The 2019 Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards will be presented at this year’s Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference in Auckland, 9-10 August. Applications/nominations for the Awards close 19 July 2019. Information about applying and nominating can be found on the NZNO website.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 30 May 2019

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) commends the Government for a good start towards a Wellbeing Budget for people living in New Zealand. In particular it commends the significant increase in Vote Health, and meaningful allocations in key areas such as: mental health and addictions; child wellbeing; family violence; and Māori and Pasifika wellbeing.

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said that more specifically, significant investments have been promised in areas such as school-based health, homelessness, early learning to improve wellbeing; infrastructure support; and kaupapa Māori services. She said there is still more to be done.

“Nurses and nursing services will be key to each and every one of these extended services, but we agree with the Government’s observation that currently the required workforce needed for them is not in place.”

NZNO President Grant Brookes said NZNO was therefore pleased to see the Government identifying specific workforce targets such as the primary mental health services workforce (which must include nurses) and pathways to employment for the Māori and Pasifika health workforce.

“We are particularly pleased that the importance of supporting students to enter into nursing and midwifery practice has been recognised.”

However, Kerri Nuku said the glaring disparity in earnings between the DHB nursing workforce and those working in Māori and Pasifika, Aged Care and Community services should have been more clearly identified as a target in the Budget.

“NZNO looks forward to continuing to work with Government to develop the required nursing workforce and helping to ensure that working conditions and remuneration levels continue to improve so nursing remains an attractive option for young people seeking a professional career in health. Investing in the wellbeing of the workforce remains a priority.”

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 29 May 2019

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says it’s heartened by the Government’s promise to accept or consider 38 out of the 40 recommendations from the mental health report. However, it urged the Government to make sure nursing issues and kaupapa Māori approaches are central to the work it does in mental health and addiction.

“We appreciate that Government’s willingness to listen to the experts in the main and to consider new and evidence-based ways of looking at this complex, persistent and tragic problem,” NZNO President Grant Brookes said.

However, he said Government must ensure nursing issues such as adequate staffing levels and safe working environments – which were almost entirely omitted by the report – feature prominently in the actions it takes in implementing the recommendations it comes to accept.

“Nurses, whether in the community or in hospitals, are at the forefront in treating mental health and addiction, and are probably the professionals people experiencing mental health and addiction problems interact with most.

“They’re essential to any health care we provide, but the mental health and addiction nursing workforce is becoming more tired, fearful and burnt out. That makes it a difficult branch of nursing to recruit to. Failing to work towards a nursing workforce that is robustly resourced, safe in the workplace and fully staffed will put the success of any of the Government’s planned initiatives in jeopardy.”

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said she welcomes the Government’s agreement to broaden the types of services available, and said NGO and kaupapa Māori services will play a vital role in providing culturally appropriate responses and supporting whānau in the community.

“Removing barriers and short-term contracting costs, and streamlining funding would make these services more sustainable and ensure that the workforce in this sector is well supported. Māori bear the mental health and addiction burden disproportionately so developing services that are ‘by Māori for Māori’ is just common sense.”

Ms Nuku said NGOs and kaupapa Māori services form a key part of the ‘whole of government’ approach to wellbeing and says Government must support their development.  She also said the focus on Māori health must continue to be strengthened within the Ministry of Health and other Government agencies.

NZNO looks forward to continuing to work with the Government and other stakeholders to help bring about the changes resulting from the recommendations that come to be accepted.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

Joint statement: Kerri Nuku (Kaiwhakahaere) and Grant Brookes (President), New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO)

28 May 2019

There has been much debate and positive anticipation among nurses about the potential of the new Wellbeing Budget and a possible resolution of longstanding ethnic pay inequities.

Nurses, who form the backbone of the health workforce, have been enduring up to 25 per cent pay disparities between those working in Māori providers and those in other parts of the health sector.

“These inequities result from the sustained underfunding of Māori health and limitations in the current funding formula. If we are to fulfil our obligations under te Tiriti o Waitangi we need the Wellbeing Budget to invest in Māori health and Māori nurses in particular,” says NZNO President Grant Brookes.

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says, “Current pay inequities are unacceptable, and continue to put significant pressure on Māori nurses and their whānau. I know of cases where nurses have to get second jobs to cover their household bills. Their colleagues in others sectors simply aren’t experiencing this level of hardship.”

The two NZNO co-leaders have been meeting with political and health sector leadership in the leadup to the release of the Wellbeing Budget to amplify their call for ethnic pay parity.

Grant Brookes says, “Justice lies at the heart of wellbeing; and the forthcoming budget is a chance for the Government to do the right thing and resolve this issue once and for all.”

Kerri Nuku, who is party to the Waitangi Tribunal WAI 2575 health kaupapa claim, says “We have raised the issue of pay inequity at every forum we could in this land and taken it to the United Nations with no satisfactory resolution. If this Budget is truly about wellbeing we need to see greater investment in Māori health and Māori nurses.

“We will continue to work in partnership for ethnic pay parity for all nurses until this issue is resolved.”

Colleagues and supporters around the country are encouraged to contact politicians and health industry leaders asking for increased funding to Māori health and a realignment of the funding formula to recognise the real costs of providing culturally and clinically competent health care for Māori whānau.

For further information and informed comment contact:

Kerri Nuku, Kaiwhakahaere, New Zealand Nurses Organisation: 027 265 6064

Grant Brookes, President, New Zealand Nurses Organisation: 027 536 2851

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 27 May 2019

Canterbury and West Coast nurses will convene in Christchurch tomorrow for the annual New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Canterbury-West Coast Regional Convention. The theme for the day will be “Nurses a Voice to Lead – Health for All” which was also this year’s theme for International Nurses Day (12 May).

The convention is specifically for NZNO delegates and other members and a primary focus of the day will be how information sharing can better equip the nursing professions to be a leading voice for health.

Guest speakers will include Primary Health Care Nurse Erica Donovan, who will speak on cancer and children, and Integrative Nurse Coach Anah Aikman, who will speak on the importance of people providing care caring for themselves.

John Finch from Educ8te will speak on Restorative Justice and a team of Emergency Department nurses will speak on trauma team and co-ordinator roles.

Various NZNO staff will also share their knowledge and experience across a range of nursing-related topics, including Understanding the Health and Safety at Work Act, Analysing the health of your practice, and Maintaining confidence in leadership roles.

NZNO CE Memo Musa, Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku and President Grant Brookes will be speaking about NZNO highlights for the year so far and answering questions. Likely topics include: how things may change as a result of the multi-employer collective agreement (MECA) settled with district health boards in 2018; and how nursing professions can better network and support each other.

“This Convention may well be local, but by extending their knowledge and sharing information across the professions that make up nursing, nurses can enhance their voice as leaders and actually contribute to the global direction of nursing,” Kerri Nuku said. 

Canterbury Regional Council co-Chair Cheryl Hanham said this year’s theme ‘No one left behind’ will have a different meaning for different people attending.

“Does this mean things like our Māori and iwi health provider workers are left earning up to 25 percent less than their colleagues in DHBs while yet work with whanau who have significantly poorer health outcomes?

“To ensure no one is left behind we must use our voices to speak up against inequalities in health and funding, even if we ourselves are not in an okay space.”

Canterbury Regional Council co-Chair Ruth Te Rangi said the convention was also a useful opportunity for Te Rūnanga.

“This is a place where Māori members can come and contribute and feel comfortable and listened to. That’s really important to us, and we think some good outcomes come from this.”

NZNO’s Regional Conventions are held in nine regions across New Zealand each year, organised and run by NZNO’s nine Regional Councils: Southern; Canterbury/West Coast; Top of the South; Greater Wellington; Central; Hawke’s Bay; Midlands; Greater Auckland; and Te Tai Tokerau.

The Canterbury-West Coast Regional Convention will start at 8:15am (registrations open at 7.45am) in the Christian Cullen Lounge at Addington Raceway.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.