Nurses from around the Southern Region will convene in Dunedin tomorrow for the annual New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Southern Regional Convention. The theme for the day-long event will be "Nurses a Voice to Lead - Health for All" which is also this year’s theme for International Nurses Day (12 May).

One guest speaker will be Jane Wilson, Southern District Health Board’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer. Jane Wilson will speak to the convention about how best to recognise and work with networking opportunities within the health sector.

The day will start with karakia and waiata led by Matewai Ririnui, Southern Representative for Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa, which works in partnership with NZNO. Matewai Ririnui will later present on her journey as a Māori nursing student registered nurse.

The day is specifically for NZNO delegates and other members, and NZNO staff will also present to share their knowledge and experience across a range of nursing-related topics.

NZNO President Grant Brookes and Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku will also present on the impact social media has had on NZNO’s members, delegates and reputation.

"Regional Conventions are valuable opportunities for nurses to network together, to learn and to share about the work they are doing and to celebrate the contribution the nursing profession makes to improving access to health care," Grant Brookes said.

‘When nurses are equipped and empowered they have the voice to lead, to contribute and to help transform the health system. That results in improved health for all New Zealanders, including down here in the Southern Region."

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 Southern Region Council Chair this year is NZNO delegate Barbara Findlay, a registered nurse with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Dunedin Hospital.

The Convention will be held at the Otago Golf Club and starts at 9am.

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