Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aoteoroa, January 24, 2006

The Nurses Organisation says problems at neonatal units around the country are a reflection of chronic nursing staff shortages.

Christchurch Women's Hospital closed its neonatal unit to new admissions over the weekend.

Canterbury District Health Board says the decision was due to a combination of staffing shortages, the number of babies, and the level of care they require.

Nurses Organisation chief executive Geoff Annals says there's an ongoing shortage of nurses in New Zealand and around the world. ... Nurses

Green Party, December 15, 2005

New Zealand could run out of nurses if the New Zealand Nurses' Organisation's pleas for pay parity for primary nursing staff are ignored, the Green Party warns.

Nurses are to deliver a petition signed by 18,000 New Zealanders to Parliament today, asking for the Government to work with the NZNO and primary health care employers to develop a collective agreement that provides pay parity with those working in secondary health care services. ... We can't afford

New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, December 15, 2005

“Nurses are an essential element of the government’s primary health care strategy, and the work they do needs to be valued and rewarded appropriately,” said Ross Wilson, Council of Trade Unions President today.

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation launched their petition today calling for additional government funding to deliver pay parity for nurses in primary health with their counterparts in District Health Boards, ahead of bargaining next week for their multi employer collective agreement. ... Parity

New Zealand Nurses Organisation, December 15, 2005

New Zealand Nurses Organisation members will send a message to the politicians today at 1pm when they deliver a petition at Parliament signed by over 18,000 New Zealanders calling for pay parity for primary health nursing staff with their counterparts in public hospitals.

A delegation of NZNO primary health members from Balclutha to Auckland will say their role in primary health is increasing but their pay lags behind. ... Value

RNZ, December 15, 2005

Nurses from the primary healthcare sector have presented an 18,000 signature petition to parliament calling for pay parity with their counterparts in public hospitals.

The Nurses Organisation says by July next year a practice nurse in a GP surgery will earn around $160 less per week than a registered nurse working in a public hospital. ... Nurses

New Zealand Herald, December 15, 2005

Nurses working in GPs' surgeries today presented an 18,000-signature petition to Parliament, demanding the same pay as their hospital colleagues.

Practices nurses say that by next year, a nurse in a general practice will earn about $160 a week less than a registered nurse in a public hospital.

Staff and registered nurses, most of whom work in hospitals, are receiving a pay rise of around 20 per cent pay over two and a half years. ... Nurses

Tanya Katterns, Dominion Post, December 8, 2005

All elective surgery at Masterton Hospital will be postponed for more than two weeks over Christmas as health bosses struggle with a staffing crisis.

The hospital's clinical managers met urgently yesterday to discuss options for relieving pressure on an already stretched and overworked nursing workforce.

Hospital Services general manager Anne McLean said postponing non-urgent surgery, condensing two wards into one and fewer beds in the medical and surgical wards was the only way to cope over the holiday period. ... Masterton

Vikki Bland, New Zealand Herald, December 3, 2005

Nursing is in trouble in New Zealand with one in five new nursing graduates leaving to work overseas and more than a third of the resident nursing workforce aged over 40. According to New Zealand Health Information Service statistics, just 6.9 per cent of New Zealand's 34,660 active registered nurses and midwives are aged between 25 and 29.

Anecdotal evidence and low nursing graduate numbers also suggests few secondary school pupils are interested in nursing. In the 12 months ending March 31, New Zealand had just 1325 registered nursing graduates; many aged in their mid thirties. ... Nursing

Times Newspapers, November 29, 2005

A shortage of 2000 nurses has forced the healthcare community to initiate its first national recruitment drive.

The Campaign for the Future of Nursing sees a website launched to provide information about the challenges and benefits of nursing.

“Nursing is an essential element of the healthcare system,” says Ministry of Health chief nursing advisor Mark Jones. ... Drive

RNZ, November 25, 2005

Some doctors say a campaign by practice nurses to get a 30% pay increase may led to higher fees for patients.

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation wants 5,000 primary health care nurses to be paid the same amount as public hospital nurses who received 20 - 30% at the end of last year. ... Nurse

Newstalk ZB, November 17, 2005

Nurses have been reflecting on their political history during centenary celebrations in Wellington.

The Wellington Private Nurses' Association was responsible for setting up the Private Hospitals Act, which included provision for the supervision of the standard of nursing in private hospitals.

Nurses' Organisation professional services manager Joy Bickley-Asher says the organisation has come a long way in 100 years, especially in terms of membership.

She says district nurse Annie Holgate, who formed the first branch in 1905, paved the way for expansions across the country.

Newstalk ZB, November 15, 2005

Ten New Zealand nurses are heading to Pakistan to join a multinational medical force helping earthquake survivors.

Last month's quake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, killed up to 79,000 people and has left almost three million homeless, facing the approaching Himalayan winter.

The nurses from all over the country will be based at a Red Cross Hospital in Abbottabad, in the North West Frontier province, where the focus is on preventing the spread of infection and disease. ... NZ

Patient safety is under threat from law changes that will allow nurses to prescribe drugs, senior Christchurch doctors claim in an attack described as a public warning.
Mike Houlahan & Amanda Warren, The Press, November 12, 2005

Two specialists yesterday published a scathing article in the New Zealand Medical Journal, saying the law changes risked serious damage to medical teamwork and would have "unforeseen consequences on standards of safety and competence". ... Mistakes

New Zealand Herald, November 3, 2005

A national recruiting drive to find at least 2000 nurses gets under way this week.

The Campaign for the Future of Nursing aims to encourage New Zealanders to choose nursing as a career.

The initiative comes at a critical time, with an estimated shortage of 2000 nurses expected to increase in the next couple of years because of the ageing workforce.

It has been developed in collaboration with key members of the nursing community and the Health Ministry. ... Wanted

Growing concerns of a serious shortage of nurses in New Zealand - recruiting campaign launched.
NZCity, November 2, 2005

There are growing concerns that New Zealand could soon face a serious shortage of nurses.

A major new campaign aimed at trying to recruit more staff into the profession is being launched later this week.

The Campaign for the Future of Nursing believes that currently there are around 2,000 jobs which need to be filled.

It is thought many are staying away from a profession which is seen as poorly paid and with long hours.

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