Nurses Day 12 May – a voice to lead

Media Release 11 May 2017

Nurses Day 12 May – a voice to lead

Celebrated on 12 May, the date of Florence Nightingale’s birth, International Nurses Day (IND) is a global event held each year in recognition of nurses’ invaluable work.

Tomorrow in Wellington NZNO is releasing its inaugural book of poems by nurses, Listening with my heart’; is holding celebrations and meetings around the country and; is launching its new brand that includes Te Reo. Members are also continuing to circulate and sign the petition for better government health funding.

In addition on Friday, NZNO members are involved with the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial Wall wreath laying. Fifty three nurses from eight countries died in New Zealand on February 22 2011. These nurses are being honoured tomorrow and poet nurses, Kim Chenery, and Natacha Maher are reading a poem each.

Nursing and Professional Services Manager Jane MacGeorge says like Florence Nightingale, New Zealand’s pioneer nurses, and in particular pioneer Māori nurses, have very much carried the belief of equitable access to health care and offered a more holistic approach to nursing than traditional models.

“As Florence Nightingale promoted equitable access to health care, and many pioneering Māori and pākehā nurses have too, today we reflect on how important access to community nurses and nurses across the health and social sector are to the wellbeing of society as a whole,” Ms MacGeorge said.

“Population wide, an investment in nursing includes healthcare education and health promotion at the primary care level. This approach to wellbeing and adequate primary healthcare funding continues to build a stronger and healthier society,” she said.

At the end of the month NZNO president Grant Brookes, kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku and NZNO chief executive Memo Musa are attending the International Council Of Nurses Congress in Barcelona and speaking about advanced nursing practice and globalisation, and its impact on nurses in New Zealand and internationally.
http://www.icnbarcelona2017.com/en/

(The NZNO poetry book is available from www.nzno.org.nz from 12 May.)

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