Nursing reports

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 28 November 2022

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) has welcomed this morning’s Government announcement that $200m per year will be spent addressing the wage gap between community-based frontline workers and their counterparts who work for Te Whatu Ora. 

But it says the decision to leave out GP practices is regrettable.

NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter said the Government needs to be acknowledged for the initiative, which is particularly good news for workers with Māori and Pasifika health service providers whose wage gap has been crushingly unjust for so long. 

“Earning up to 25 percent less just because of where you work is completely unacceptable in Aotearoa New Zealand, so we're really pleased the Government has committed to ongoing funding for this.

“We also think the boost will have a really positive impact for the Aged Care Residential sector, which has been hit really hard by staff leaving for better paid jobs in the public sector.”

However, Paul Goulter said more work still needed to be done because nurses working for general practices have been excluded.

“The Government says it’s not convinced a pay parity gap exists for those nurses. We don't agree with that at all, and both our members and employers say they are losing staff at rate of knots to jobs with Te Whatu Ora where the pay is much better.

“And in a lot of cases general practice employers are topping up wages just to keep their staff, and that money has come out of funding for other services which could have benefitted patients and the community. 

“That’s not a sustainable situation long-term and the Government really needs to re-examine this decision. Otherwise Primary Health Care, and the communities that rely on it, will continue to suffer. It’s just not right that this sector will not participate.”

Paul Goulter also welcomed the Government’s assertion that the money must be used to fix existing pay differences.

“We’re really keen to see what mechanism will exist to ensure transparency and that the funding goes into the pockets of nurses and other health workers, rather than being absorbed into something else.”

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

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 15 November 2022

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says it is pleased with Health Minister Andrew Little’s recent announcement that paid placements for nursing students are under active consideration.

NZNO President Anne Daniels says nursing students must do 1100 hours of unpaid placement work during their studies (often at great distance from their homes) and that the hardship resulting from this is a major contributor to the high number of nursing students who drop out.

“We are in the middle of an horrific nursing shortage crisis, and it seems like a no-brainer that we must do everything possible to attract students into nursing and to keep them there.

“NZNO has been suggesting paid placements for some time and we’re frankly surprised it has taken so long even to be considered.”

However, Ms Daniels said this should be just one of several measures introduced to attract and retain nursing students.

“Places in Australia have already introduced free fees for nursing students right up to their third year because they recognise how important it is to build their health workforce right now. We must follow suit.

“In New Zealand we’ve done it for apprentices in response to trade worker shortages, so it’s just mystifying that we’re not considering free training for a profession that literally saves lives and provides care when we are seriously sick.”

She said the Government must move from consideration to action on both these issues quickly.

“We cannot afford to wait around, and we’d like an urgent timeframe announced to put these measures in place.

“New Zealand remains an unattractive option for migrant nurses, and we shouldn’t be relying on them anyway. We must be pulling out every stop in growing our own nursing workforce, especially Māori and Pasifika nurses, and that has to start right now.”

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

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 29 August 2022

Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) will be holding public rallies today in five main centres to call on the Government to ensure Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand (formerly the DHBs) urgently provides the funding needed to properly value Aotearoa’s Primary Health Care nurses.

The main centres are Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch and the rallies will run from 12.30 until 1.30pm.

Primary Health Care nurses work in areas of the health system such as General Practice, after-hours emergency centres, Plunket, Māori and iwi health providers, Urgent Care and Family Planning. They have the same qualifications, training and responsibilities as Te Whatu Ora nurses, but are paid significantly less.

A nurse at a medical centre typically earns 10-20 percent less, and nurses working for Māori and iwi providers can earn up to 25 percent less.

Many employers say they want to pay their staff the same rates as Te Whatu Ora nurses, but they can’t do so without increased capitation funding from the Government.

Christchurch-based Primary Health Care nurse Denise Moore says many nurses are leaving Primary Health Care for hospital-based jobs with Te Whatu Ora where they can earn more, and that this is causing real problems for members of the community.

“I don’t blame nurses for leaving Primary Health Care for better pay because it is hard to make ends meet on our wages, but it does make things worse for those who remain because staff numbers are so low and the hours are already long and arduous.

“When employers can’t find new nurses to replace the ones who have left, it means they have to cut services or delay appointments and that affects everyone in the community.”

Registered nurse Gina Chaffey works at a Māori Health provider in Tairawhiti. She says she would never leave her Primary Health Care role because it is about the people.

“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He Tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. Meeting the needs of my people is always paramount and they depend on me. But why is the pay gap for nurses who work in Primary Health Care or for Iwi so big? The Government needs to step up and meet its obligations under te Tiriti.

“Injustice has been a lifetime battle for Māori and pay parity with Te Whatu Ora nurses would be a step towards equality. Like them we studied for our nursing degrees, and we go way beyond the call of duty every day. It just isn’t right that the Government funds one group of nurses more than another.”

At today’s rallies members of the public will be invited to rate the Government’s performance on fairly paying Primary Health Care nurses by placing a sticker on their chosen location on a large Plunket chart. They can also cast a ballot to vote on how well they think the Government is doing at valuing Primary Health Care Nurses.

The rallies will be at the following locations, starting at 12.30pm.

• Auckland: Corner of Memorial Drive and Gt North Road, New Lynn
• Tauranga: Red Square (bottom of Devonport Road)
• Hamilton: Garden Place, Victoria Street
• Wellington: Midland Park, Lambton Quay
• Christchurch: Riverside Market

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

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 3 August 2022

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says the National Party backtracking on its promise to match health funding with inflation if it were in Government – as reported today in the media – should come as no surprise.

NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter said politicians seem always willing to cut their health spending commitments when the cost of maintaining a fit-for-purpose health system starts to rise.

“To not keep up with inflation in funding health would see the health system going backwards, resulting in further service cuts during a time of national crisis.

“We should not expect to see Governments or opposition parties changing their commitments just because the rate of inflation has become uncomfortably high.

“This is the sort of mis-prioritisation of health that has been done by successive governments for decades. It is why our health system is in crisis now, and hard-working nurses, health care assistants, midwives and kaimahi hauora end up carrying the burden through poor wages and conditions.”

He said breaking funding promises will only increase workers’ dissatisfaction and disillusionment and undermine the public’s faith that the health system can progress beyond the crisis.

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

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 29 July 2022

New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) delegates at Whangārei Hospital met with their employer today to demand better winter payment incentives. 

Within 18 hours, more than 80 percent of affected staff were willing to put their name and position forward in support of the letter of demand, which was presented to the employer at the meeting. 

NZNO delegate Rachel Thorn said nursing staff, including health care assistants (HCAs) and other health workers, are worn out from working extra shifts to fill a large number of gaps in the nursing roster. 

“This is having a hugely negative effect on our personal wellbeing and family lives, leading to increased sick leave, burnout and resignations. Despite this, we have been working extra hours to keep the department safe for patients and support our colleagues.

“This has been done out of loyalty to our manager and the department but the good will has run out.”

While nursing staff are being offered an incentive payment, the payment being paid to doctors is eight times higher depending on the timing of the extra shifts. 

“Nurses are feeling really disrespected. This unequitable offer has left us feeling a deep lack of care or consideration from Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand. The doctors we’ve spoken to agree and are shocked by the offer. Payments should increase by the same percentage for nursing staff who are just as vital for patient wellbeing,” Ms Thorn said. 

She said the employer met with doctors’ unions and negotiated much better winter support packages, including agreements to ensure the wellbeing of doctors working additional shifts, but did not negotiate with nurses or NZNO. 

“They just presented the amount to nursing staff without wellbeing support, without enough time to consider the payment and with no negotiation whatsoever. That just confirms to us that we are undervalued and many of us are refusing to take on the stress of extra shifts because it just isn’t worth the personal cost. 

“Unfortunately, our management have failed to deal with the staffing crisis and have effectively passed the burden onto the workers. We knew there was a crisis. We knew the winter surge was coming but it is clear that there was no planning, care or consideration for nurses, HCAs or other health care workers.  

“We expect our employer to step up and commit to resolving these issues, and one way to do that would be better winter incentive payments, as a short-term solution to these acute staff shortages. We should not be asked to sacrifice our families and our own wellbeing if we are not being valued at work.” 

NZNO says it plans to lodge a claim with Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand next week for significant improvement on the Winter Incentive payments (and for consistent penal rates) across the country for nursing staff. 

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

Embargoed until 12.30pm, 20 July 2022

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 20 July 2022

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says it received more than 2700 responses (in just two days) after inviting members to send a message to the Minister of Health about the nursing/health crisis.

NZNO gave its members the opportunity in response to Health Minister Andrew Little’s persistent assertions that there is no health crisis and that the system as a whole is coping.

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said one only has to read the news to see that the system is actually on the brink of collapse, just as many health professionals are saying.

“Ninety-nine percent of responding members said the system was either in crisis (70 percent) or already beyond crisis (29 percent).

“What word we use to describe this situation is probably not important, but the Government’s insistence that this is just a temporary situation caused by covid and a cold winter has made nurses feel unheard and completely undervalued, and that is evident in the messages to the Minister. Many are furious, and many are in tears as they write.”

Some of the messages are lengthy, and NZNO President Anne Daniels said the fact that so many went to such lengths to share their thoughts is significant.

“Decades of poor planning, inadequate funding and outright neglect have led us to a time of absolute crisis in terms of pay, staffing resources and morale across the nursing sector.

“This isn’t a temporary glitch; many are seeing it as the end of the road, with 72 percent of respondents saying they are either seriously thinking of leaving nursing or New Zealand, or that they had already made plans to do so.

“This is not union officials opining in Wellington. These messages are the heartfelt pleas of nurses and other health workers right across the country working in a wide variety of nursing sectors. We hope for their sakes that the Health Minister and the Government will be willing to listen.” 

Interestingly, 95 percent of respondents (not all of whom work in the DHB sector) said honouring the promised back pay to DHB nurses and extending DHB Pay Equity rates to all nurses in New Zealand, regardless of where they practice, was one of the most important things Government could do to help address the nursing/health crisis.

The book of messages, amounting to 330 pages of print, will be anonymised and delivered to the Health Minister today at 12 Noon by a small team of Wellington region NZNO delegates.  Journalists would be welcome to photograph and speak with these members at Parliament at around 12.30pm.

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

Further information: survey stats

Regions

Nurses completing the survey were from all sectors: DHB; Primary Health Care; Aged Care; Private Hospital and Hospice; and Māori and iwi. Responses were received from all 20 DHB regions.

Is there a crisis?

2735 answered the question about whether there was a nursing crisis. No and Maybe were answer choices. 1910 (70 percent) said there was a crisis. A further 29 percent said the situation was already beyond crisis. 

How does the Government denial of a health crisis make you feel? 

Indifferent was an available choice. However, 39 percent said they were angry; 19 percent said they were disillusioned; 41 percent said they felt undervalued. Total = 99 percent.

Are you thinking of leaving nursing?

• Seriously thinking about leaving: 33 percent
• Seriously thinking about taking a nursing job overseas: 27 percent
• Already made plans to leave for good: 5 percent
• Already made plans to nurse overseas: 6 percent
• Determined to battle on: 28 percent. 

In other words, less than a third indicated they wanted to stay in their jobs.

What are the most important things Government could do to help address the nursing/health crisis?

• Honour the promised Pay Equity back pay for DHB nursing staff, and extend those Pay Equity rates to all nursing sectors: 96 percent.
• Provide more nurses: 80 percent
• Prioritise health and safety in workplaces: 70 percent
• Put internationally qualified nurses on the fast track to residency: 64 percent
• Remove financial barriers for nursing students: 60 percent
• Make it cheaper and easier for IQNs already here to gain registration: 53 percent
• Implement te Tiriti across the health system: 34 percent.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 11 May 2022

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says it will be launching a new campaign tomorrow through which it intends to win the political and resourcing commitments needed to address the nursing shortage crisis permanently – and across the whole health sector.

12 May is International Nurses Day, and NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter says that’s the perfect time to launch Maranga Mai! (meaning ‘Rise up!’), an ambitious campaign that calls on every nurses everywhere in New Zealand to rise up together and demand that they be resourced and enabled to do their jobs safely and well.

“So much has been asked of nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora, and they have delivered like the courageous and professional workforce they are, right across Health. I am not just talking about our DHB-run hospitals.

“But decades of poor planning, inadequate funding and outright neglect have led us to a time of absolute crisis in terms of pay, staffing resources and morale across the nursing sector.

“NZNO intends to go hard. We will be relentless in pursuit of our goals and we will not stop until they are achieved.”

Central to the Maranga Mai! campaign will be the ‘Five Fixes’ which form the charter of demands for the campaign:

1. te Tiriti actualised within and across the health system
2. more nurses across the health sector
3. pay and conditions that meet nurses’ value and expectations
4. more people training to be nurses
5. more Māori and Pasifika nurses.

Paul Goulter says these are what is needed to solve the crisis and that NZNO must be at the table when decisions are made affecting nursing.

“We are more than 55,000 strong and growing. We have a portfolio of solutions and it’s time for Government to listen and involve us so we can work together on fixing this.”

He said a start would be addressing Pay Equity issues for DHB nursing staff without delay and honouring back pay obligations, which would reassure nurses they are valued and go some way towards restoring trust.

“And then those improved rates have to be rolled out across other sectors so people will want to become nurses and want to work where they are needed instead of where the better money is. I’m talking about Aged Care, Primary Care, and especially Māori and iwi providers where nurses earn 30 percent less than their colleagues in other sectors.”

He said a second solution is to implement mandatory staff to patient ratios in every area of health, supported by staff allocation systems and programmes that match nursing resources to patient needs.

“These are the sorts of things it is going to take to guarantee quality of care and that nurses have the time to see that patient needs are met in a compassionate and holistic way.

“Make no mistake about it, people are sicker than they need to be and some are dying because of the nursing crisis and it is time to get serious about addressing this.

“We are deadly serious. Maranga Mai! is not just a campaign for every nurse everywhere. It’s a campaign that will benefit all people in Aotearoa New Zealand because nurses who are well-resourced to do their work without the constant stress of being short-staffed will improve access to good health care and services for all of us.”

Maranga Mai! will be launched at an online forum for members at 11am on Thursday 12 May 2022.

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

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 1 April 2022

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) welcomes today’s announced Living Wage increase to $23.65. It says all health employers, from DHBs through to primary care and Māori and iwi providers, must step up and set the Living Wage as the minimum for themselves and their contractors.

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said the health sector, like any other, cannot prosper on the back of poor pay rates that often perpetuate poverty. 

“Governments have ignored the wage crisis for far too long and driven many whānau into hardship.

“A lot of nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora, some currently earning below the Living Wage, are taking second jobs or leaving their profession because the pressures of working within the health system are not worth the mental and physical distress. This is only exacerbated when it’s hard to put food on the table.”

Ms Nuku said that to survive on low wages both parents or caregivers often need to work yet still barely keep their head above water.

“The slightest change to income or expenses takes months to recover from and the mental impact on everyone in the family is significant. It’s so much harder for children to have a decent start in life with both parents having to work for the minimum wage.   

“There is no wellbeing in these types of wages and that is why an accurate Living Wage that reflects the minimum required to meet basic wellbeing needs is so important.

“If smaller health providers say they cannot afford to pay what is needed to live with dignity, then funding models must be urgently reassessed.”

NZNO has long been a Living Wage employer and extends that requirement to its contractors.

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

Te Rūnanga o Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa and PHARMAC – Te Pātaka Whaioranga are proud to open submissions for the fourth annual PHARMAC Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards. The Awards, which were first held in 2018, acknowledge the key role Māori nurses play in influencing health outcomes for whānau.

“Some truly exceptional nurses and tauira have been recognised over the past four years through these awards, and I know this year will be no different,” says PHARMAC’s Chief Advisor Māori Trevor Simpson (Tuhoe, Ngāti Awa).

The Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards are offered in two categories, each with a prize pool of $10,000. The first category for Nurse Practitioner/Nurse Prescriber recognises Māori nurses who are on a professional development journey to advance their clinical practice and expertise. The second category, Māori Nurse Mātauranga, supports nurses and tauira to further their study and/or develop an innovative way to help whānau, hapū and iwi to access and understand their medicines.

“They offer a financial contribution for Māori nurses to further their studies and clinical practise and can be used by nurses to help continue their incredible achievements and whānau commitment,” says Trevor.

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says that Te Rūnanga are extremely proud of the support and investment PHARMAC is providing with the Tapuhi Kaitiaki scholarships. 

“We need a health system that supports services run by Māori for Māori in order to improve the health of our whānau, hapū and iwi. These awards are a crucial way to tautoko that aspiration, especially for our nurses who are studying to be nurse prescribers and nurse practitioners so they can serve their people where their medical access is limited.

“Māori nurses are not only dedicated professionals but great innovators. The Kaitiaki Awards provide a wonderful opportunity to showcase their day-to-day mahi for the betterment of their people, hei oranga motuhake mo ngā whānau, me ngā hapū, me ngā iwi katoa."

The awards are a great example of how PHARMAC is working across the health system to strengthen relationships with Māori health professional groups and uphold the articles of Te Tiriti across all its work.

“We are honoured to be part of this initiative to celebrate and support the incredible contributions and aspirations of Māori in the health sector.” 

Submissions close 1 July 2021. To make a submission visit the NZNO website and go to Awards. 

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If you would like to talk with Trevor Simpson, please contact PHARMAC’s senior communications advisor Jane Wright via media@pharmac.govt.nz or 021863342. If you would like to talk with Kerri Nuku please contact hugo.robinson@nzno.org.nz

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 5 May 2021

NZNO says health care workers across Aotearoa New Zealand are extremely disappointed following the government’s pay freeze announcement.

Despite being on the frontline for COVID-19, Nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and kaimahi hauora employed by District Health Boards (DHB) could all be affected by the announcement.

NZNO Industrial Services Manager Glenda Alexander says she is seriously concerned about the impact of the policy on NZNO's work to resolve gender pay issues within nursing and midwifery.

"This announcement could set back our efforts to resolve the longstanding undervaluation of our members’ work, especially regarding pay rates for nurses.

"Three years effectively freezing our payrates would put us backward in closing the gender pay gap between the female-dominated nursing occupation and male-dominated occupations, many of which are in the private sector."

On top of pay equity concerns, NZNO Industrial Advisor David Wait says that the announcement could have significant impacts on the current negotiations as well as staff retention.

"NZNO is in negotiations with DHBs for a new Multi-Employer Collective Agreement (MECA) which affects over 30,000 workers. Our members in DHBs are feeling let down and anxious following the announcement. They’re feeling that this is a huge disrespect given all they have done for the country during the pandemic.

"We keep hearing from members that this is just the thing to push them to move overseas," he said.

"All people in Aotearoa New Zealand should be concerned at the possible impact of the guidance on our ability to attract and retain health workers in our public hospitals and DHB facilities that are already understaffed".

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Media inquiries: Hugo Robinson, Assistant Media and Communications Advisor, 021 194 3408.