Kerri Nuku, Kaiwhakahaere
Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO

These are interesting times we live in. At a recent convention I attended I was asked a very interesting question about the power of a voice on global health. My response was a simple but one that rings true through the mists of time. “Throughout history the power of the voice can inspire people and make them brave, or it can diminish people by the language and the tone of voice.”

The voices of many historical figures – both good and bad – have left indelible marks on humanity and its impact on nurses has been no different! Over our history, we’ve largely been silenced by the dominant forces within the system.

So, the big question is how do nurses get that voice we long for in order to tell our story when that the voice has been stripped away from us through legislation, through policies and practice in many situations? Now more than ever it’s important that our stories be heard. One such example is the OIA NZNO obtained from Te Whatu Ora. This provides a platform for us to inform the data when it comes to getting the truth out there. This can be done by our union lending support to our nurses by giving them the courage to regain that confidence and strength. We need to protect them in a quite hostile environment where it’s not okay for nurses to speak out.

Many of our legislative decision-makers only put forward only a medical view.  Pae Ora for example looks at having doctors as part of those decision-making groups. Nurses are excluded. It raises the question again about why the voices of nurses are silenced. Is it because of the more historically subservient role that nurses play? It’s the stereotypical approach and still a hangover from the old ways! It used to be that women should be seen and heard, in many ways that archaic attitude still exists. This marginalisation is only worse if you’re Māori or another minority group.

It’s taken a few brave women to really challenge the status quo and we need to support them. The way forward is to look at what leadership looks like within nursing. And those nurses that are speaking out have got to see that there’s a group of people around them, and not just a few individuals popping up. It is the responsibility of the union to support and promote the freedom of a voice, and to protect the interests of nurses that speak out.

Through our struggles we’ve always got to be optimistic for change because our purpose in life right is to make it easy for the people coming behind us. It does take some solid action and solidarity and that’s why our Ratio Justice bus tour requires more than just a few people to turn up, but we need crowds present who need to make their voices heard loudly and clearly.