National Delegate Committee

I work in the People and Professionals Team at Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau, supporting the HCA Earn As You Learn and Competency Assessment Programmes as well as the Nursing Orientation/Induction course. 

My nursing experience includes nearly 40 years in a variety of roles including staff nurse, nurse educator, Postgraduate and PDRP coordinator. I was the Nurse Consultant for Recruitment and Retention, and then returned to my passion of nursing education. As part of the role, I introduced Centralised Nursing Recruitment at Counties Manukau which helped to reduce our nursing vacancies. 

I enjoy taking time out with my family, undertaking crafts, and reading. 

I have been a delegate for over 20 years, and I am the Lead Convenor Delegate for Counties Manukau. I am the current Chair of the National Delegates Committee as well as a member of the Senior Nurse Pay Working Group. 

I became the Lead Delegate for Counties Manukau so I can make a difference for nurses and the community we serve.  If we stand strong together, I believe we can achieve great things. 

Kia ora koutou katoa, ko Sacha Young taku ingoa, I am a Registered Nurse at Te Whatu Ora - Te Tai Tokerau Emergency Department. I have been an RN for 9 years and my experience includes working as a New Grad on an acute medical ward; Aged Care nursing at Hospital level of care; IOC Bureau RN; and finally working in ED which is my absolute passion.

As a shift worker I have an absolute love relationship with sleep; enjoy catching up socially with my nursing colleagues, and travelling to spend time with whānau including exploring Aotearoa with my mother.

My NZNO involvement:

• The National Delegates Committee (NDC) 
• Chair for our local Regional Council 
• Delegate for 8 years
• Member of CENNZ
• Previous Aged Care NDC chair
• Member of a bargaining team between NZNO and Ryman Healthcare.

I feel privileged to be a part of the NDC team, to represent Te Tai Tokerau voices, and to feedback information from a national level to a local level. 
 

Hi my name is Jade Power, I work as a Registered Nurse for Te Whatu Ora at Starship Hospital having completed my New Graduate year in 2023.

I am one of the workplace delegates for my ward and have been actively involved with NZNO since 2020 when I first began my nursing degree both as a student representative and a health care assistant. I am very honored to be nominated by my fellow Auckland delegates and look forward to representing you all on the NDC.

My roles include:

• Te Toka Tumai (Auckland) National Delegate
• Greater Auckland Regional Council member
• Greater Auckland Region Membership Committee Representative

Previous Roles:

• Chair and Vice-Chairperson of the National Student Unit (2020-2022)
• Otago Polytechnic National Student Representative (2020-2022)
• MC National Student Unit Representative (2020-2022) 
• Nominee for NZNO Board of Directors (2022) 

I have been a NZNO delegate for around 15 years representing Outpatients North Shore Hospital in Auckland. I was asked to put my name forward for NDC and appreciate the strength of networking nationally and knowledge sharing for our benefit locally.

I believe we need to protect Nurses' rights individually and collectively and the future of nursing, by keeping up to date with changes and working to increase NZNO's profile, to make sure we have a voice in health issues.

I coordinate the student nurses coming to our area to make sure they are well supported in their learning journey in all our specialist areas. They are our future. 

I hope we can achieve better support financially for students while learning and fair pay equity for primary care and iwi nurses.

To engage our nursing members for consolidation of power in numbers I believe we need local profile-raising activities with NZNO Organiser presence and leadership.

 I am an Internationally Qualified Nurse (IQN), currently a Neonatal ICU Registered Nurse and NICU Retrieval Flight Nurse at Health NZ - Waikato Hospital. Originally hailing from the Philippines, my nursing career has been an enriching tapestry of experiences across various specialties from paediatrics to medical-surgical, Hemodialysis, and returning to Neonatal Nursing when I came to New Zealand.

I enjoy my personal time reading period piece books, watching Korean Drama, and listening to Taylor Swift. I love travelling, hiking, and exploring new food places.

Since joining NZNO in 2020 as a workplace delegate, my passion for advocating for nurses' rights and ensuring optimal working conditions has only deepened. This commitment culminated in my appointment as a National Delegate in 2022. Throughout my tenure, I've actively engaged with NZNO, playing a vital role in the bargaining process; I was involved in running claim meetings, and participating in organizing industrial actions such as Life Preserving Services (LPS) and strike action.

I proudly serve as the National Delegate for Waikato within the esteemed New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and want to be a voice for my fellow Internationally Qualified Nurses. My passion for advocating for nurses' rights and ensuring optimal working conditions drives my involvement in various committees and activism within the organization.

In my role as a National Delegate, I aim to amplify the voices of nurses from Waikato, advocating for fair representation, equitable policies, and improved working conditions across the board. In this capacity, I aspire to bring proactive problem-solving skills, a deep understanding of the challenges faced by my local frontline healthcare workers, and a relentless commitment to effecting positive change within the nursing community.

Together, let us strive for a brighter future for nurses in New Zealand.

I have been working for Lakes over 26 years as a Registered Nurse. Currently I am working in the older person rehabilitation unit and the acute stroke unit. I have had experience on acute, medical, surgical units and a brief period in mental health.  My role includes the being the unit co-ordinator and supervising new RNS, NETP and students.

Within my role as an RN I have been the infection control rep, Trend Care super-user, and on a falls risk team which includes being responsible for preventing falls, ensuring risk assessments are completed and implemented, and monthly audits.

I have been an NZNO delegate for many years. To begin with I was the convenor, then the co-convenor, and at present am a regional council delegate.

I attend regular monthly meetings WOC, Bipartite and Bag. Over the years and currently within these roles I have been in multiple datix reviews, decision/partnerships review processes, which included FTE calculations to ensure staffing levels. I have assisted with multiple strike actions preparations and LPS.

I am trying to encourage delegates from Lakes to take over my role. As a delegate I actively share information with my fellow delegates and members. I support members on a regular basis as a resource person, focusing on the issues, within a partnership model.

I remain an NDC member because we need a voice, and someone to stand up proactively and not be afraid to raise/solve ongoing health related issues. This cannot be done by one person. Our workforce and the overall health issues are nation wide. Together as a collective we can make a difference which will provide better outcomes for nursing, patients and national heath.

I am an active relaxant. I love mountain and road biking, swimming, and running.

Tērā ia e mā mai rā
E pākia mai rā e ngā ngaru o te moana ko Te Kurī ā Paoa
Kei ngā repo o Te Wherowhero taku waka ā Horouta
Ko Ngai Tāmanuhiri te iwi
Ko Ngāti Rangiwaho me Ngāti Rangitauwhiwhia ngā Hapū
Tīhei mauri ora

My name is Richelle Tarsau. I am of Māori and Rotuman decent. I work as the paediatric outpatient coordinator and administrative team support at Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti. My 14 years of paediatric experience in various roles give me the honour to work with our tamariki and whānau. I am involved in my community and also sit in spaces where I am an advocate for children and young people.

I have been a workplace union delegate for twelve years and have been a part of some historical groundbreaking changes for our nurses here in Te Tairāwhiti and Aotearoa. I joined the national delegate committee to help influence change at a national scale for our nurses, more so our Māori and Pasifika, and to represent my region to ensure awareness of our issues is raised constructively and addressed appropriately.

I am grateful for my fellow NDC members. We can draw strength from one another with our years of experience we bring as a collective from our respective fields of expertise.

I am grateful to stand in this position as a representation of my region.

As a Registered nurse I have worked at Te Whatu Ora Taranaki in various roles for 15 years, including in the stroke rehabilitation unit and currently in the medical ward. 

I have been a Health and Safety Representative for two years, and engage with NZNO at many levels including:

• Being a delegate for 14 years
• Co-convenor for Taranaki Hospital New Plymouth for about 3 years
• I attend Nursing forum, BAGS, CCDM/Trend care meetings regularly at a local level
• I attend Regional Council meetings and conferences for Central region
• Being voted to be representative on the Membership committee about 4 years ago
• Being a National Delegate for about 4 years also.  

As an adult Student I juggled study, two part time jobs, a family of four high school aged children and a very understanding supportive husband. In the last 15 years my family has increased by 16 grandchildren and 2 daughter in-laws. In my spare time I enjoy baking birthday cakes for the family, drawing, and line dancing to relax. But my biggest passion apart from my family is Christmas, our house is decorated from November to February inside and out!

At the 2023 AGM I was very surprised to receive an award for services to NZNO, nominated by my regional council committee.

I have three times been an integral part of the strike organizing team in Taranaki, working with management arranging LPS cover. I have also supported practice nurse strikes in the last few years.

I believe Maranga Mai is our key to being a stronger more united union and am trying to integrate this in my everyday practice.

I am honoured to represent the delegate group from Te Mata a Maui Hawke’s Bay on the National Delegate Committee (NDC). I have been active in nursing unionism since 1981, and with NZNO since 1987 when I arrived in Hawkes Bay (HB) from Ireland, with my partner Chris, an RN (and newly nominated NZNO delegate).

In addition to being a member of NDC, I represent TMMRC on the Membership Committee, I am Co-Convenor for the HB delegate group, and I represent NZNO in the HB Safety and Well-being committee. I have recently been invited to participate in a National Worker Engagement, Participation & Representation (WEPR) Project on violence in the workplace. 

Last year I was one of the NZNO delegates that formed the Te Whatu Ora CA bargaining team. The next bargaining team will undoubtably have a very challenging time in this changing health climate with a new government. 

Our members will also face a challenging time ahead in the work place this year. The cost of living crisis, the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora and  the overturning of our world breaking anti-smoking legislation, are just a few new government changes that will have an impact on our ability to do our jobs the way we would like.

I look forward to the work the NDC can do to assist and inform the members in 2024.

I work as a Registered Nurse on the medical ward for the Whanganui Hospital with five years of nursing experience across two hospitals (Tauranga Surgical & Kaupapa Ward Medical, and the Whanganui Medical ward).  

In addition to this I have been an active supportive NZNO member since my student nursing days which began in 2016. As a student nurse I attended Regional Council meetings, Te Runanga meetings, Conventions and Annual NZNO Conferences. In returning the support I received over these initial years, my commitment grew into the spaces of Regional Council Rep, TR Rep, Regional Council Chair (not current), Ward delegate (level 1-3), and most recently, a National Delegate Committee member for the Whanganui Hospital. I’m confident my journey to date will help me carry the voice of the nurse.  

We need to be able to take better care of ourselves and not just our patients. We need the right support to do both. Our input is essential to our solutions. I’m happy to ask the hard and awkward questions and I’m happy to retrieve, challenge and report the answers. More importantly I’m excited to assist in real and positive change outcomes. Minimum Staff Ratio Intervention is a good start.

Maranga Mai

I’m a Registered Nurse and employed as a Specialty Clinical Nurse in Specialist Primary Mental Health and Addiction Service, for Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua/Midcentral.

My nursing experience dates to the late 1980’s when I started my psychiatric nurse training in the UK. Alongside starting my training, my activism that had started in the mid 80’s, crept up a notch and I was instrumental in getting clothing allowance for female nurses; at that time only males were receiving it.

Since then I have worked in several roles including RN in wards, in Community Mental Health teams and in both Mental Health Liaison and Crisis teams. At times I have stepped out of nursing and into NZ Police where I was a Staff Welfare Officer for a short while, and as paid staff at NZNO. After a decade in Australia (which included the pandemic) I returned to New Zealand and commenced work at Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua/Midcentral.

Returning to this workplace was like coming home: returning at a time when our Mental Health and Addiction Service was undergoing significant change, I moved into my current new team, participating in its development and evolution.

Since entering the workforce in the 1980’s I have been a union member, becoming a delegate here in New Zealand in the early 2000’s. I recall my excitement when the Lower North Island MECA was established and from there wages and conditions continued to improve. On returning home in 2020 I was once again invited to take up the delegate mantle and saw first-hand the challenges to get pay equity over the line. Now it’s the Holiday’s Act payments. 2024 is another big year and we will continue to strive to make improvements.

As well as my delegate role I am a member of Central Region Regional Council; I joined NDC after being asked by several delegates to represent our area. I’m here to support our local and wider NZNO team with the many ongoing issues faced in healthcare, including and not limited to staffing, workload, health and safety

Outside of work, I sit on the sofa and recover, and then enjoy our beautiful country.

I work as Associate Charge Nurse Manager Perioperative for Te Whatu Ora Wairarapa. My nursing experience of 38 years has been in a variety of areas which include medical, surgical, HDU. For the past 17 years I have worked in theatre, and since 2021 I have ACNM.

I am a member of:

• The National Delegates Committee
• Local Regional council rep for 1 year
• I have been a delegate for a number of years off and on, more recently for 6 years
• Member of the Perioperative Nursing College
• Part of the last negotiating team.

As part of the bargaining team I joined the National Delegates Committee to be further involved in representing our region. I have become increasingly active due to issues with working conditions e.g safe staffing, health and safety etc., and would love to be involved in changes to these, ensuring better outcomes for our patients.

I work in Women’s Clinics at CCDHB, with a background in Primary health, General Practice and from a marae-based Nurse-lead clinic. I have been an NZNO delegate for about 4 years, Co-convenor for 2 years, and on the NDC since 2023. 

I am an enthusiastic activist and have participated in several TV and radio interviews, spoken at rallies, supported union meetings and met with members of Parliament to discuss union concerns. 

I believe in what our union can achieve, and encourage members to become involved in activities and have their voices heard.

Over the last 5 years I have worked a variety of roles as part of the Paediatric Ambulatory Service based at Children’s Outpatients at the Hutt Valley DHB. I am a Paediatric Community Nurse, and also run nurse-led clinics and work in our Paediatric Day Stay.

I have been nursing for 35 years in a variety of roles from staff nurse, adult community nurse and ED nurse, though most of that time has been spent as a paediatric nurse in different specialities.

I have been involved in humanitarian work overseas working with indigenous peoples to empower them to serve alongside their communities to bring transformation. We had to learn to think and act on our feet fast.  We had to do things that we weren’t naturally good at and were in situations that often stretched us. We had to find other ways of doing things. We achieved this with hard work, humour, and not taking no and giving up. We need these same skills today and need to work together more than ever in 2024.

I have been a local delegate for our area in the Hutt Valley DHB for the last 4 years.  

I became increasingly more active as a result of health and safety issues in our workplace. Since last year I have become part of the National Delegate Committee (NDC) to represent our members at the Hutt, raising issues of concern, and ensuring information is shared effectively to our members.

I work as a Registered Nurse for Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora.

I have been nursing for 26 years in a variety of mainly surgical areas. However, for the past 16 years I have specialised in Post Anaesthetic Care and for the past 6 years I have also been working as a flight nurse. I have been a local NZNO delegate in PACU since 2020.

Outside of work my interests are walking, biking and photography. My photographs are mainly of landscapes - now that my grown sons no longer race motocross, where I would take photos to take my mind off them racing.

I am a member of:

• The National Delegates Committee
• NZNO Perioperative Nurses College
• NZNO College of Air and Surface Transport Nurses

I joined the National Delegates Committee so that I can be the voice for the delegates from the Top of the South. I will be their point of contact and ensure that I keep them updated with information from a national level.  

Across the country, staffing shortages are critical and for me this is something I am passionate about - safe staffing ensures patient safety.  I want to see positive change occur for our workforce and I would like to help make these changes happen.

• I have been working as an Enrolled Nurse in the Burwood Spinal unit for 20 years.
• I have been an NZNO delegate for 16 years.
• I am the Chairperson for the Burwood WOC.
• I have been a Canterbury Regional Council Commissioner member for 15 years, and Vice Chair of Canterbury Regional Committee for one year. 
• I have been a Canterbury Enrolled Nurse Section Committee member for 16 years, and vice chair of the Canterbury Enrolled Nurse Section for four years.
• I have been a National Delegates Committee member representing Canterbury for two years. 

I work as a crisis nurse for Health New Zealand at Timaru Hospital.

Born in Sweden then moving to England I started working as a mental health ward nurse and a rehab nurse.1996.

In 2003 I came to Hawkes Bay for a year before moving to Timaru, where I enjoy living close to the beach with my family and my dogs.

I have been a member of the National Delegates Committee for a few years now, to give our small team of delegates a chance to be part of the bigger picture. I am also a Health and safety rep in my local area. I have been a delegate for more than 10 years and am active in unions here and overseas.

My aim as a unionist is to protect our interest in safe staffing and our right to wages that reflect our skills, expertise and qualifications. I also believe we need appropriate staff-to-patient ratios, to reduce the serious risk of injury to staff and patients.