95bFM Calls to make health system crisis an election priority
20 April, 2023
Interview by Nicholas Lindstrom, adapted by Athena Li-Watts
NZNO Kaiwhakahaere (President), Kerri Nuku, is calling on political parties to prioritise solving the health crisis this election. Photo: Canva.
On Saturday, 15 April, nurses rallied across 20 locations in Aotearoa to demand better working conditions and pay amidst the nationwide health crisis.
The rallies, organised by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), are the first time all 57,000 of its members were called on to rally for united action, regardless of the area of nursing they work in.
NZNO Kaiwhakahaere (President), Kerri Nuku, told Nicholas Lindstrom on 95bFM’s The Wire that the health system crisis has been a pressing issue for nurses nationwide.
“This was about frontline workers standing up and showing the government that they are united and that these staffing issues are real.”
Over 5000 nurses in Aotearoa have registered to work in Australia since August of 2022.
Nuku said going to a different country may make nurses feel more valued, as in Aotearoa, they are continuously underappreciated and undermined.
“Many of them are being lured by the prospect of better pay, better hourly rates, and better working conditions.”
Most primary healthcare services in Aotearoa have long wait times due to understaffing.
Because of this, it is common for nurses to work overtime, causing stress and mental fatigue, which Nuku said has a knock-on effect on patients.
The NZNO has proposed five fixes for the health system crisis; further actualisation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi within the health sector, getting more nurses across the health system, making pay conditions fair, earn as you learn programs for nurses in training, and a push for more Māori and Pasifika nurses.
In regards to actualising Te Tiriti, Nuku said there needs to be a commitment to improving health outcomes for Tangata Whenua.
Despite being overrepresented in renal diseases, Māori make up a small number of those who received kidney transplants, compared to non-Māori.
“Why would the number of Māori who have had these treatments be so limited unless there is some structurally discriminatory practice that happens that determines who gets treatment and who does not.”
Nuku said action needs to happen to ensure systemic racism does not continue in the health system.
The World Health Organisation has said that to represent indigenous populations best, a workforce representative of the percentage of indigenous people is required.
Only 7% of Aotearoa's health workforce are Māori, with that percentage unwavering since 1990.
There is also a reliance on internationally qualified nurses, whose percentage has risen from 13% in the 1990s to almost 30% today.
Nuku argued that earn as you learn programs are critical in growing our workforce and retaining nurses.
Nuku encouraged people to sign their petition to pressure political parties to prioritise solving the health crisis this election so that the public can receive adequate healthcare.
