Nursing reports

New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) midwives covered by the Midwives Pay Equity claim voted overwhelmingly to accept a final proposed settlement agreement from Te Whatu Ora.

The ballot which closed at noon today also included Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) members.

NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter said this was a major milestone in the history of midwifery in Aotearoa New Zealand and was a long overdue step towards addressing a significant gender-based inequality midwives faced in their work every day.

"It is also just a beginning, and we look forward to working with Te Whatu Ora to continue addressing all the gender-based discriminations nurses, health care assistants, midwives and kaimahi hauora face."

NZNO would also like to acknowledge Minister Ayesha Verrall’s initiative in bringing this claim to settlement as she did in the Te Whatu Ora nursing Pay Equity, Paul Goulter said.

The settlement agreed today includes an additional lump sum of $15,000 pro-rated for those employed during 1 January 2020 to 3 April 2023, and increases on the hourly rate which will be back dated to 4 April 2022. An interim payment was ratified at the end of June and those payments have been made to midwives.

The outcome of the Pay Equity process will now become part of the collective agreement negotiations with Te Whatu Ora.

Paul Goulter said the next step was Pay Parity as the need across all nursing and midwifery sectors was well-established.

"We will not rest until it is achieved. We know that midwives who are not covered by the Te Whatu Ora Pay Equity settlement will be watching this outcome with keen interest.

"Pay Parity is a matter of wage justice and essential to NZNO’s Maranga Mai! campaign which calls for every nurse everywhere to be paid the same based on their experience and qualifications." 

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 3 October 2023

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says the National Party’s new health policies announced today ring hollow because they don’t address the missing workforce needed to deliver them.

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said there was nothing new in what National announced and that the policies, while laudable in themselves, presupposed there were sufficient health staff available to deliver them.

“Increasing maternity services is a great idea, but how are you going to do that without the nurses and midwives to support new and expecting mothers?

“Increasing clinical training placements is also great, but what will National do to make nursing and other health worker training more attractive – other than student loan payoffs that come too late to really help struggling nursing students?”

Ms Nuku said recruiting and retaining nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora is the ‘make or break’ behind any health policy and that National is conspicuously quiet on how it will urgently recruit 4000 nurses or respond to the needs of frontline staff so they will stay in their jobs.

“Christopher Luxon has said National ‘will be doing everything [they] can to boost the health workforce,’ but very little beyond that.

“What about funded free training for nursing students so they don’t start work with a massive debt in the first place? What about more Māori and Pasifika nurses so people receive culturally appropriate care and need health services less?

“What about decent wages and Pay Parity across the health system so every nurse everywhere is equally valued and earns the same according to their experience and qualifications? What about mandated staff-to-patient ratios to help ensure the safety of nurses and the people they care for?”

She said health should be at the top of discussion this election because the system is hanging by a thread and will fall apart unless more nurses are found and/or kept.

“That has serious implications for the health care we and our loved ones receive, and we need to be putting concrete solutions in place now. The best health policy in the world will fail miserably without the workforce in place to support it.”

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Media enquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617 | media@nzno.org.nz

An ailing health sector needs to be nursed back from a full-blown crisis by whichever political party claims the seat of power in next month’s general election, nurses say.

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki Aotearoa (NZNO) has released its Election Scorecard which provides insight into how its members, who are on the frontlines of the health crisis, see the different parties on the eve of voting opening next week.

Wellington-based veteran registered nurse Helen said while nurses appreciated the progress made by Labour there was still much work to be done to reverse the damage.

"Labour has a good Health Minister, but she needs to be braver, advocate for the health workers and lead the way to better health outcomes for all."

Auckland-based registered nurse Dawn felt more work needed to be done by Labour to increase the nursing workforce. "Currently we are facing challenges with ever increasing workloads without increasing resources."

Aged care nurse Anita is distrustful of National saying the party did not have the best track record in health spending or supporting health workers.

"National has a terrible track record with healthcare. The pay increases offered under the last National government were lower than inflation during their term, so nurses essentially had a pay decrease."

Keelan is concerned that neither major party has a plan to fully address the large pay disparity for nurses working for Māori and Iwi providers.

"Why does National continue to ignore Pay Parity for nurses who work for Iwi and Māori providers? National took over after the 2008 elections and did nothing for Māori nurses working for their Iwi or Māori providers during that whole time they were in power."

Plans by National and Act to disestablish Te Aka Whai Ora are also of particular concern to nurses.

"Both Act and National party have said they will disestablish Te Aka Whai Ora which would neglect their responsibilities to the treaty. Māori were assured equal rights and yet have poorer health outcomes and shorter lifespans than non-Māori. To meet treaty obligations Te Aka Whai Ora really needs to stay," Anita said.

However, Keelan praised Te Pati Māori for committing to additional funding for Te Aka Whai Ora and supporting Māori nurses.

"I love the determination of the Māori Party to improve working conditions and pay for Māori nurses and health for Māori across the country."

Helen also saw Green policies as positive and the party as supportive of health workers.

"I have appreciated the support from several Green MPs who have stood beside the nurses at our rallies and spoken up in the House advocating for health workers and improving our health system."

NZNO President Anne Daniels said the responses showed common concerns but also similar hopes for improvements in the health sector.

"We have been appealing to politicians from all parties to make the current health crisis and more especially the workforce crisis a priority in the upcoming elections," she said.

"Nurses and healthcare workers vote. They are on the front line of a health system in crisis and are looking to see which parties have a credible plan to fix our health system for our health workers and the communities we care for. That’s why today we are releasing a health policy election scorecard to help inform nurses as they head to the ballot box - who will deliver the nurse we need?"

Find the election scorecard here

A young Pasifika male nurse has been recognised as New Zealand's Young Nurse of the year.

John Fa’ukafa was presented with his award at the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Toputanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki Aotearoa (NZNO) Annual General Meeting and Conference dinner last night. (20 September)

Fa’ukafa, of Tongan whakapapa, is a 29-year-old registered nurse at the Adult Sexual Health Service and Pohutukawa Clinic - Te Toka Tumai in Auckland.

His nominators said John always views the service from the patient perspective, finding ways to reduce the barriers to being seen.

He has been described as a person who combines a professional approach with his authentic self, bringing out the best in other nursing staff by being warm, supportive, and honest.

"John consistently offers help to every other member of the wider multidisciplinary team. His generosity of spirit improves the working lives of everyone around him; doctors, receptionists/schedulers, nurses, cleaners, psychologists, and baristas."

They also admire Fa’ukafa for his courage and resilience in breaking through the stigma of being an openly gay Tongan male nurse and using his experience to support patients wholeheartedly, regardless of age, ethnicity, sexuality, or gender identity.

On top of working with patients living with HIV, John was a regular volunteer at Auckland Hospital during the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic and promptly attended a training course when the Mpox (Monkeypox) virus arrived in Aotearoa, joining a group of nurses who provide information and immunisations to gay and bisexual men at risk.

He is also the first Pasifika male nurse in New Zealand to provide after-hours forensic nursing care as part of the Pohutukawa Clinic, Adult Sexual Assault Service.

Fa’ukafa said he was lost for words and humbled when he learned he had received the award.

"It was a definite surprise that I was being nominated and even more surprising that I won the award."

He said that while he was proud of his resilience and ability to adapt and carry on, he does not allow his background, gender or sexuality to define who he is.

"For me and my nursing career, I think my perseverance and kind of my drive to do well and be well. I’ve always kind of exceeded that. As much as it’s a part of me it's not always what drives me."

He also said that he’s grateful to work alongside such a good team of people.

Fa’ukafa was chosen from several high-quality nominations and diverse nursing fields. The two runners-up were Elizabeth Hope Zizik and Tiahn Beuth-Pukepuke.

Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall will take the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) stage this Wednesday morning (10am) when she delivers the opening keynote at the Organisation’s 2023 conference at Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington.

The Minister will address more than 200 people including about 180 union members who make up a mixture nurses and health professionals from all health sectors in Aotearoa.

NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter said the Minister will be warmly welcomed by their members but with an upcoming general election our members are all interested to hear what she has to say.

"We have been appealing to politicians from all parties to make the current health crisis and more especially the workforce crisis a priority in the upcoming elections," he said.

"While we acknowledge the initiatives she has made since becoming Minister of Health, there is more that the health sector desperately needs."

Paul Goulter said health was no longer something to be put on the backburner but had become an absolutely pressing matter in Aotearoa New Zealand.

"The health system has become interwoven with every fabric of society and how we deliver our health services needs to be under the microscope.

"What we want to know is how the needs of the workforce and patients will be met."

In line with the tenets of NZNO’s Maranga Mai! every nurse everywhere deserves to be paid fairly, treated fairly, and be made to feel safe, he said.

"It also goes without saying that we also need cultural sensitivity in the sector toward Māori and Pasifika."

The NZNO Conference forms part of a two-day event that includes the AGM, a nursing awards dinner and the conference itself.

The state of the health system, impacts on Māori as both the workforce and as users of the system, and the changing role of the nurse will be discussed by a panel of experts at the conference on Thursday.

Other guest speakers include activist and lawyer Annette Sykes, and former Te Whatu Ora chairperson Rob Campbell.

The strike for a fair wage increase by NZNO Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) and PSA members employed by Whakarongorau Aotearoa New Zealand Telehealth Services is going ahead as planned.

NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter said hundreds of workers have downed tools for 24 hours from 3pm on today following a breakdown of talks with their employer.

Whakarongorau attempted to interdict the strike in light of the impending strike to commence in 3pm today. An urgent injunction hearing was held at midday.

"The injunction has only prevented Early Mental Health Response Nurses and Clinicians, Emergency Tele Triage Nurses, Emergency Tele Triage Paramedics from striking," Paul Goulter said.

"Meanwhile, the bulk of the workforce and the bulk of the union membership of NZNO and PSA need to know they will be able to strike is planned."

Whakarongorau Aotearoa New Zealand Telehealth Services’ employees are literally paying the price for poor management decisions over the past few years, and its NZNO Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) and PSA members have now had enough.

Fed-up members of the two unions, employed at Whakarongorau, will down tools for 24 hours from 3pm on Friday following a breakdown of talks with their employer.

NZNO delegate Bruce Tomlinson said despite paying out millions to each of its shareholders - Pegasus and Procare - in the last financial year, Whakarongorau claims they have no capital to fund a fair wage increase for its employees.

"This is why we are embarking on industrial action. The decision to strike was made because we have reached our wits end."

NZNO and PSA members have been in protracted bargaining with Whakarongorau for months without any inroads.

After more than a year since the previous collective agreement expired, management has offered a paltry 2.5 percent increase for most workers, which falls far below the claim for a cost-of-living increase, Tomlinson said.

"The story is that despite having those big surpluses they cry poverty every year, promising workers a better increase the following year. This year is no different. At what point do they intend to share some of the profits created by the workers with the workers in a fair way?

"Inflation is sitting at 6 percent and they’re offering 2.5 percent, so essentially, they’re asking us again to take another loss in wages."

He said although the numbers going on strike might seem smaller, the impact was much wider as Whakarongorau workers provide immediate support to everyday people all across the country through services like Healthline, 1737 Need to Talk?, Ambulance Secondary Triage, National Poisons Centre, GP After Hours, Earlier Mental Health Response, Shine Domestic Abuse Helpline, Diver Emergency Service Hotline, NZ Defence Force Mental Health Line among many others.

"We are literally the first line in many of the services we provide. We are the voice on the other side of your calls 24 hours a day, and seven days a week."

The rallies take place at near the Whakarongorau offices in Auckland (25 College Hill, Freeman’s Bay), Wellington (36 Customhouse Quay) and Christchurch (395 Madras Street).

"You can share your message of support with #thenurseweneed," he said.

Tomlinson also called on politicians and their parties to have policies this election year to address the nursing crisis and for health to top their list of election priorities.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 8 September 2023

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) wants more detail from campaigning political parties about how they will urgently fund 4000 more nurses, especially those who are Māori and Pasifika.

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said at least 4000 nurses were needed tomorrow, but that any recruitment initiatives must be focused on having more Māori and Pasifika nurses, midwives and health care assistants in place.

“We have a health system based on western models from which many Māori and Pasifika people feel culturally alienated. This means they are much more likely to seek health care late, or not at all.

“That’s a tragedy, but denying Māori and Pasifika culturally appropriate care also puts a greater strain on the health system’s resources through longer than necessary treatment and longer hospital stays. Those are resources that could be used to fund more beds or pay wages for more nurses.”

The most recent Nursing Council statistics indicate that Māori (17.4 percent of the population) make up just 7 percent of the nursing workforce. Pasifika (8 percent of the population) make up just 4 percent.

Ms Nuku says increasing these numbers significantly will result in care across the health system that is culturally appropriate and that will lead to increased (and earlier) Māori and Pasifika engagement with services. And this will significantly reduce the economic health burden.

“We need also to remember that upholding te Tiriti o Waitangi firmly across the health system is part of the obligation for Māori to have self-determination over their own health and wellbeing and to achieve equitable health outcomes. Pasifika are also entitled to culturally appropriate care.

“We cannot achieve these things without more Māori and Pasifika nurses.”

She said to grow nursing numbers we will also need to address the nursing student problem.

“By the third year of study 25 percent of nursing students drop out overall – mostly due to financial hardship. That figure is 33 percent for Māori and 37 percent for Pasifika.  

“One way of attracting nursing students would be funded free training for them, and to have their work placements paid. Dropout figures would fall and the number of new nurses would rise more quickly over time.

“We do this for much-needed trade apprentices, so why not for nurses? Surely that’s a policy gap any political party with a modicum of courage could grab!”

Ms Nuku says she wonders how many political parties really grasp how bad things will get in the next few years if these problems aren’t addressed.

“I would love to hear more from political parties about just how they will find the courage to fund more nurses more quickly, particularly Māori and Pasifika.

“These are real problems and I want to know just what each party intends to do about them.”

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Media enquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617 | media@nzno.org.nz

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 5 September 2023

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) supports the senior doctors and dentists on strike today for wage increases that reflect real rises in the cost of living.

NZNO President Anne Daniels said asking senior doctors and dentists to take a pay cut by not offering increases that match the CPI is both unfair and short-sighted.

“We are at a time when health professionals are leaving their jobs at unprecedented rates.

“The work is endless, the pressures are high and the prospect of burnout is very real. Refusing fair pay lifts is just going to exacerbate the problem, causing more doctors to leave or retire early.

“It’s hard enough right now to get an appointment with a doctor and this has already resulted in massive pressures on emergency departments, which affects us all. Te Whatu Ora’s penny-pinching on wages will just end up costing the health system more in terms of pressure on other workers and remaining resources.”

Ms Daniels said that, like nurses, senior doctors and dentists care about their patients and they are going on strike for the good of their profession’s future. Wages that properly recognise the qualifications and contributions of senior doctors in the public system – by at least matching the inflation rate – will help reduce the number leaving for overseas or private sector positions.

“NZNO calls on Te Whatu Ora to show more foresight. Asking senior doctors and dentists to take a pay cut will just further reduce the availability of health services to everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Our whānau, our loved ones and our communities need their doctors and dentists. Give them at least the cost of living so more will stay.”

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Media enquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617 | media@nzno.org.nz

NZNO Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) and PSA members, employed at Whakarongorau Aotearoa New Zealand Telehealth Services, will embark on an hour-long rally on Friday morning following a breakdown of talks with their employer.

The rallies take place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

NZNO delegate Bruce Tomlinson said more than 300 NZNO and PSA members have been in protracted bargaining with Whakarongorau for months without many inroads.

Tomlinson said after more than a year since the previous collective agreement expired, Whakarongorau management had offered a paltry 2.5 percent increase for most workers, which falls far below the claim for a cost-of-living increase.

"This is a pay cut in real terms. Union members working at Whakarongorau have had enough. Our battle is over having decent wage increases, and we are committed to achieving an increase that reflects what we are worth and mitigates the cost-of-living crisis all our members face.

"Whakarongorau has offered well below this. They have refused to move and have not meaningfully engaged in many of our claims."

Tomlinson said the enterprise allegedly paid out $11 million to each of its shareholders - Pegasus and Procare - in the last financial year.

Whakarongorau employees provide immediate support to everyday people all across the country through services like: Healthline, 1737 Need to Talk?, Ambulance Secondary Triage, National Poisons Centre, GP After Hours, Earlier Mental Health Response, Shine Domestic Abuse Helpline, Diver Emergency Service Hotline, NZ Defence Force Mental Health Line among many others.

"We are literally the first line in many of the services we provide. We are the voice on the other side of your calls 24 hours a day, and seven days a week.

"It could be said that without us the inhouse health sector would fall over because much of the job is to either keep people out of EDs or away from GPs and refer them in a timely manner if needed."

The rallies take place at 8.30am and 4.30pm on Friday 1 September near the Whakarongorau offices in Auckland (25 College Hill, Freeman’s Bay), Wellington (36 Customshouse Quay) and Christchurch (36 Madras Street).

"Show your support for NZNO and PSA members who are standing up for fairness at work," Tomlinson said.

"You can also share your message of support with #thenurseweneed"