The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) has today received the Gold Membership Inclusiveness/Representativeness Award given annually by the International Council of Nurses (ICN).

The Award recognises NZNO’s membership inclusiveness and diversity, with the Gold level reserved for a national nursing association that (at 31 March) had at least 75 per cent of its country’s nurses as members. The census NZNO submitted to the ICN, when compared with New Zealand Nursing Council figures, indicates that 76 per cent of nurses in Aotearoa New Zealand belonged to NZNO at 31 March.

The Award was presented to NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku and NZNO President Grant Brookes at the 2019 ICN Congress held in Singapore (27 June-1 July) hosted by the Singapore Nurses Association. NZNO Chief Executive Memo Musa was also in attendance.

NZNO is one of the oldest members of the ICN having joined in 1912, just eight years after the ICN’s formation. Each NZNO member automatically becomes a member of the ICN and Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said this was a real privilege.

"The ICN works to ensure quality nursing care, sound health policies and the advancement of nursing knowledge on a worldwide scale. So whether as individuals, or as an organisation, member participation is an opportunity for us to participate and collaborate in global initiatives.

"So, to be acknowledged for the hard work we do in serving and representing our diverse membership base is a significant honour."

President Grant Brookes said NZNO’s membership had grown every year since the early 1980s, and that the Award was a great and fitting tribute to past generations of NZNO members and leaders.

"NZNO has a long history in Aotearoa New Zealand and on the world stage of nursing and this Award is not just for us. It is also for those who have gone before, who laid the foundation for NZNO to be successful in representing the interests, aspirations and view of members both professionally and industrially."

The International Council of Nurses is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations representing more than 20 million nurses worldwide.

ENDS

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