New Zealand Nurses Organisation, September 14, 2005

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation has joined Healthcare Providers NZ in welcoming Finance Minister Michael Cullenís commitment to a significant increase in aged care funding.

“Like the providers, we are encouraged to hear this commitment to dramatically increased funding and to ensuring funding does not fall behind inflation,” said NZNO spokeswoman Cee Payne-Harker today. ... Nurses’ Organisation

New Zealand Herald, September 13, 2005

Doctors are giving cautious support to new regulations allowing nurses to prescribe medicines.

Under the prescribing rights approved by cabinet yesterday, nurse practitioners, who have met rigorous requirements set by the Nursing Council, will have the right to prescribe a range of prescription medicines and controlled substances.

Previously, only nurse practitioners in aged care and child family health had prescribing rights, and those were limited. ... Doctors back

Nurse Maude nursing staff will learn on Tuesday afternoon if yesterday's 24-hour strike action had an impact on their bid for pay parity.
Robyn Twemlow, The Press, September 10, 2005

About 200 Nurse Maude staff walked off the job at 7am yesterday after pay talks broke down with management and the Canterbury District Health Board.

The Nurse Maude Association is requesting more funding from the CDHB, with whom it has a contract to provide caregiving services, to meet pay levels similar to what other nursing staff are paid nationwide. ... Nurses hear

New Zealand Nurses Organisation, September 1, 2005

Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation have elected a new president, current vice president Marion Guy.

NZNO has nearly 40,000 members who are nurses, midwives, health assistants and caregivers.

Marion Guy works in primary health care as a practice nurse and in Tauranga Hospital’s emergency department, and has nearly 30 years nursing experience. She is also an elected member of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board. ... New President

New Zealand Nurses Organisation, August 25, 2005

Nurses and other primary healthcare workers across the country have overwhelmingly voted yes to negotiating together for a multi-employer collective agreement (MECA) to win pay parity with public hospitals.

The results of a nationwide ballot of primary health New Zealand Nurses Organisation members were released to members yesterday and NZNO has initiated bargaining with a record 686 employers to create the biggest MECA in New Zealand. ... Historic Parity

Nick Churchouse, The Dominion Post, August 25, 2005

Timber workers, journalists, nurses and beermakers have been among the workers shutting up shop to get more pay over the last two weeks.

Strikes have affected many sectors as unions step up the pressure for employers to return to the bargaining table.

Yesterday 180 Radio New Zealand staff walked out from 11 AM to 1 PM. It was the seventh strike action to hit RNZ this year, frustrating listeners as regular programmes were replaced with BBC programmes. ... Strikes

Nikki MacDonald, The Dominion Post, August 23, 2005

A mental health nurse strike has forced the cancellation of some community and outpatient services around New Zealand, but hospital and emergency care continues.

About 3000 mental health nurses covered by the Public Service Association walked off the job for 24 hours from 7am yesterday, after rejecting a 20 per cent pay offer.

The union plans a second strike next Monday, and overtime bans will begin from September till the dispute is resolved. The main sticking point is conditions rather than pay. ... 3000

NewstalkZB, August 7, 2005

Private Health Care Nurses know the going is about to get tough as they fire-up their campaign for pay parity. The campaign has been a feature at this weekend's Primary Health Care conference in Auckland.

Nurses Organisation spokeswoman Laila Harre says the recent pay hike for public hospital nurses, means they're up to $5 an hour better off than nurses in the private sector. ... Private nurses

New Zealand Nurses Organisation, August 5, 2005

Jane O'Malley, president of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, has forwarded a message of support from NZNO to striking Fiji Nursing Association members: "On behalf of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, I wish to pass on to the Fiji Nursing Association a message of solidarity and support for the courageous action you are taking today. The NZNO Board of directors has unanimously passed a resolution supporting your action at a meeting this morning. ... " New Zealand Nurses

New Zealand Nurses Organisation, June 1, 2004

The counting’s begun and it’s already clear that well over 100,000 New Zealanders have signed a national public petition supporting Fair Pay for nurses and midwives.

The petition, which was launched by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation on March 8, International Women’s Day, officially closed today, although counting will continue over the next two weeks.

The petition calls on government to fund DHBs to pay nurses and midwives fairly and to ensure staffing levels that are safe for patients and nursing staff in our public hospitals.

“We know we have very strong public support, but we wanted to invite members of the public to demonstrate their support,” said Geoff Annals, CEO of NZNO today.

Geoff Annals said a UMR poll conducted last year showed nearly 90% of New Zealanders believe nurses should be paid at least as much as teachers, over 80% believe nurses should be paid at least as much as police and 73% believe nurses should be paid at least as much as junior doctors.

Geoff Cumming, New Zealand Herald, May 30, 2004

Organised chaos crackles around a nurses' station in Middlemore's emergency department. It is just after 10.30 on a Thursday morning. Staff nurse Tracey Cooper has started a 12-hour shift and is staring at a full board - indicating the 10 cubicles in the monitoring and resuscitation area to which she's posted are already taken.

They are cardiac patients mostly, needing heart monitoring - although there's a middle-aged man in resus who may not make it. ... Nurses run

New Zealand Nurses Organisation, May 27, 2004

“The Government has confirmed it is ready to pay nurses what they are worth,” said New Zealand Nurses Organisation spokesperson Laila Harré today.

Although the amount in Budget 2004 for nurses’ pay is unspecified, government has accepted that a “significant” amount will be required to settle nurses’ and midwives’ pay claim and that this money will need to be found over and above DHB budgets.

“This is good news for DHBs and therefore very good news for patients,” said Laila Harré.

Laila Harré said this was the positive sign needed prior to NZNO’s national MECA negotiations with DHBs next month.

“Government knows that significant extra money is needed to enable the DHBs to reach a Fair Pay settlement with their nurses and midwives,” she said.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, May 24, 2004

“Senior doctors congratulate nurses for their overwhelming vote in favour of participating in national collective agreement negotiations and wish them the best,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. Despite senior doctors’ own national negotiations going on for over a year, we still recognise that national agreements are necessary to help address recruitment and retention problems for health professionals. ... ” Senior Doctors

New Zealand Nurses Organisation, May 24, 2004

20,000 nurses and midwives will negotiate nationally to achieve Fair Pay and safe staffing levels after an overwhelming ‘yes’ vote at each of the 21 District Health Boards in a national ballot.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation members voted nearly unanimously in favour of both joining forces and focussing claims in negotiations on achieving Fair Pay and safe staffing levels.

NZNO spokesperson Laila Harré said today the result was an average of 98% in favour across the 21 District Health Boards, ranging from 94% in one DHB to 100% in another.  The votes were counted on Friday after 11 days of voting in hospitals around the country.

Laila Harré said strong support was also demonstrated by a strong turnout, particularly in the Auckland area where around 70% of NZNO members participated in the vote.

Kevin Taylor, New Zealand Herald, May 14, 2004

The Government is embracing pay equity in the state sector but acknowledges the cost will be significant, with a claim by nurses possibly costing $300 million as the first cab off the rank. ... Women earn only 80.3 per cent of men's average hourly earnings in the three sectors, and in the health sector the gap is even bigger with women earning only 64 per cent of men's pay. ... Nurses first