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.