Nurses to network in Napier

Hawke’s Bay nurses will convene in Napier tomorrow for the annual New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Te Matau a Māui /Hawkes Bay Regional Convention. The theme for the day-long event 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 representative members and will start with karakia and waiata led by Kaumatua Tanira Te Au and NZNO Te Runanga members Tina Konia and Tiara Williams.

Guest speakers will include Sonya Smith, a registered nurse and Acting Manager for Wairoa Hospital and Health Centre. Sonya will speak on the challenges of working within rural health.

Emergency Department registered Nurse Sue Revell will share her journey to becoming a nurse practitioner and Nayda Heays, a registered nurse on the organ transplant team at the Intensive Care Unit at Hawke’s Bay District health Board, will talk about the challenges of the role of Link Nurse for Organ Donation NZ.

Various NZNO staff will also share their knowledge and experience across a range of nursing-related topics.

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku and President Grant Brookes will be presenting on current issues faced by nurses, health care assistants and midwives; how things may change as a result of the landmark multi-employer collective agreement (MECA) settled with district health boards in 2018; and how nursing professions can better communicate and support each other.

Kerri Nuku said the Hawke’s Bay Regional Convention was a particularly special one for her.

"I whakapapa from Ngāti Kahungunu and have trained, worked and still live here. This is where we raise our children, so health and well-being for all in this region is very personal to me," she said.

"So I’m glad for Hawke’s Bay nurses to have this opportunity to share and extend their knowledge within the region. But Conventions discuss topical issues impacting on nursing and members everywhere that contribute to the global direction of the profession."

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Chair Liz Banks said that, as in the past, she expects the convention will not only provide stimulating discourse but also a safe environment that allows for networking, and collegial support.

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 Hawke’s Bay Regional Convention will be held at the Napier Conference Centre (Small Exhibition Hall) and will start at 9am.

ENDS

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