March 2018
December 2016
What are Māori nurse’s views on Assisted Dying? Position Statement – have your say
‘I whānau mai te tangata kia mate, we are born to die’[i].
While there is no one single view on assisted dying, there is no one single approach to Māori views of death and dying. We must be careful not to judge or label Māori having only one view on death and dying, rather it is individual and collective cultural approach that must be respected The cultural journey of a Tūpāpaku Wairua to te Rerenga Wairua, the spiritual place of their ancestors, is very significant to Māori and is seen as an essential step in the tangi process.This was the korero presented to the Health Select Committee this year by Kerri Nuku.
We have now completed a draft Assisted Dying (AD) Position Statement in response to the Maryan Street Petition to investigate fully public attitudes towards the introduction of legislation, which would permit medically-assisted dying in the event of a terminal illness or an irreversible condition which makes life unbearable.
As patient advocates, NZNO has chosen to take a principled approach to AD and advocate for individuals to have the option or choice of AD.
While AD is not legal in Aotearoa New Zealand, given international trends, it is inevitable that some law will be passed in New Zealand in the future which legalises AD.
It is extremely important that Māori nurses have their views heard and are involved in the formation of that law to ensure better resourcing and support is available to care for people who are dying.
The NZNO draft position statement focuses on:
- addressing the complexity of AD debate
- nursing ethics of AD
- professional accountability
- learnings from indigenous models of care.
We want to hear from you, to ensure that we have included all the key principles to guide your nursing practice when questioned by patients and their families on issues of AD.
We welcome all member comments and feedback, no matter how small or large and please distribute widely to your member groups as appropriate. Please note this document is in draft format and should not be used in practice until a final version is published.
Please forward your feedback on the guideline by 16 January 2017 to Policy Analyst Māori, Leanne Manson: leannem@nzno.org.nz Ph 04 494 6389 or 0800 28 38 48.
5th Biennial employment survey on now - important to get Māori nursing voice heard
Kerri Nuku, Kaiwhakahaere o Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa, and Leonie Walker, NZNO Principal Researcher, are sending out this link to the NZNO Employment survey, it is very important that Māori nursing voice is heard and included in this survey, please ensure that Te Rūnanga members have the opportunity to have their kōrero and fill in this survey. Mauriora!
The 5th biennial NZNO employment survey is underway and we are asking members to take part in this important longitudinal research. The survey should take around 20 minutes to complete, and in addition to helping your profession, (as a thank you for your time), you will have a chance to win one of three $50 prizes as a reward for taking part. Take the Employment Survey
Articles and items of relevance to Te Runanga members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO).