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International Nurses Day 2016

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An International Nurses Day message from NZNO chief executive, Memo Musa.

On Thursday we celebrate International Nurses Day, Florence Nightingale’s birthday, a very special day for our profession. It seems to come around quickly, which I think is an indication of the busy lives and careers nurses’ juggle. Nice that it does, too – because nurses are worth celebrating often!

After listening to presentations about some of you work at regional conventions around the country recently, I concluded that every day we should celebrate international nurses day, as nurses are involved every hour of the day in caring for someone in our health system.

Nurses are the largest profession in the health system, and without you the health outcomes for people receiving care and treatment in the health system would not be improving as they are.

Nurses, we couldn’t do what we do, without you. Thank you.

I often reflect that nurses hold the world together. We are in every community, culture and society the world over. Nurses are the woman and men who see health holistically and are able to innovate and advocate for whole person, whole whānau and whole population health.

The theme for this year’s International Nurses Day is Nurses: A Force for Change: Improving health systems’ resilience and here at NZNO we are certainly taking that challenge on board.

NZNO members are at every level advocating for a resilient New Zealand health system where everyone can access the healthcare they need, where and when they need it.

Our policy advisers and researchers are providing government and other decision makers with the evidence needed to make good and sustainable decisions.

NZNO members like you are making the difference to healthcare in your workplaces and communities and beyond.

Along with the World Health Organisation and the International Council of Nurses, NZNO believes that action on the social determinants of health should be a core part of nurses’ business. Not only does it improve clinical outcomes, and saves money but taking action to reduce health inequalities is a matter of equity and social justice.

“Every health professional has the potential to act as a powerful advocate for individuals, communities, the health workforce and the general population, since many of the factors that affect health lie outside the health sector, in early years’ experience, education, working life, income and living and environmental conditions health professional may need to use their positions both as experts in health and as trusted respected professional to encourage or instigate change in other areas.” Institute of Health Equity (2013), p.5

Nurses, people in the health system can’t reach their goals without you, and we can’t reach our goals without you too.

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Yours in nursing solidarity
Memo Musa
Chief executive
New Zealand Nurses Organisation

 

 

 

 


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For a better world.

What are you up to this weekend?

I’m going to visit my family, but while I’m there I’m also going to join the people’s climate march. No matter where you are in New Zealand, there will be a people’s climate march happening in a town near you.  You can see which of the 34 events is closest to you here; http://www.peoplesclimatemarch.org.nz/

Just like so many of us around the country, people working in the health sector care deeply about the future of their communities. After all, your work is already uniquely tied to the well-being of others. I’m often struck that nurses say their relationships with other people are the heart of why they chose a caring profession. When we march this weekend, we’re asking for everyone to have a safe place to live, enough food to eat, and secure incomes. These are, of course, all building blocks of good health.

The World Health Organisation has said that climate change is the ‘greatest threat to human health this century’, and that combating it is part of our ‘duty of care’. A while ago I wrote a horror-story blog of the ‘best-case scenario’ if we do nothing to stop climate change now. I also believe that climate change gives us a massive opportunity to build a better world.

In New Zealand, we are so lucky to have clean water and air, and the freedom to march safe from terror or oppression. This is a freedom that has been ripped away from people in other countries. But we also need more safe places to walk and cycle, warm dry houses, flexible hours in secure jobs, healthy local food that’s affordable for our families, less time commuting and more time with the people we love. To reduce climate change, we’re asking for things we all like!

We also need to show the Government that we’re serious about acting on a climate plan now. That’s why we’d really like to see you this weekend, standing up for the precious people and places you love. Can you join us?

RSVP at the website, and send me an email to let me know- jennl@nzno.org.nz

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See you soon,

Jenn Lawless

Campaigns Adviser for NZNO


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Working in partnership for health

IMG_0103Yesterday NZNO president Grant Brookes, CTU economist Bill Rosenberg and others made submissions to the Greater Wellington Regional Council on a motion brought by Cr Paul Bruce.

Cr Bruce realised that, if ratified, the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) would constrain the Council from reaching its goals, in many ways. The Council has recorded its opposition to the TPPA.

Grant made the links between people and health, and the environments they live in. Achieving health requires wrap-around thinking and intersecting actions. We all need to be on the same page if we are to realise a healthy Aotearoa New Zealand.

Here’s Grant’s submission:

Kia ora koutou. Good morning. My name is Grant Brookes. I am a registered nurse, and the president of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation.

NZNO is the leading professional association and union for nurses in Aotearoa New Zealand, representing 46,000 nurses, midwives, students, kaimahi hauora and health workers – including four and a half thousand in the Greater Wellington Region.

NZNO embraces Te Tiriti o Waitangi and works to improve the health status of all peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand through participation in health and social policy development.

At present, a major policy focus for the sector is the update of the New Zealand Health Strategy, being led by the Ministry of Health. The relevance of this to Councillor Paul Bruce’s motion will soon become clear.

The previous New Zealand Health Strategy, introduced in 2000, has occasionally been referenced in this Council’s planning.

The updated Strategy, which proposes a clear view of the future for the health system over the next 10 years, is likely to have greater bearing on your decision-making.

This is because an eighth guiding principle for the health system has been added to the existing seven, in recognition of the way the wider environment contributes to people’s health. It is: Thinking beyond narrow definitions of health and collaborating with others to achieve wellbeing.

Particular examples of collaboration between health services and other agencies are mentioned in the Strategy. They include Healthy Auckland Together and Healthy Christchurch.

Healthy Auckland Together revolves around a Regional Action Plan, developed by 21 organisations, including District Health Boards, Primary Health Organisations and the Auckland Council. It views local government domains like transport and regional parks (and indeed local government employment conditions) as part of the health infrastructure.

Healthy Christchurch is a similar, DHB-led collaboration involving local government, based on the World Health Organisation’s Healthy Cities model.

Meanwhile, World Health Organisation Director-General Dr Margaret Chan has spoken of the TPPA as part of a “particularly disturbing trend [involving]… the use of foreign investment agreements to handcuff governments and restrict their policy space.”

And as we’ve just heard from New Zealand Council of Trade Unions economist Bill Rosenberg, the TPPA’s restrictions apply to local government as well – even as your role in creating healthy environments is receiving greater recognition.

As a nurse, I am very concerned that the TPPA will restrict your ability to fully contribute under the updated New Zealand Health Strategy.

So I applaud you for being one of the councils, covering 60 percent of New Zealanders, who have previously voted to express opposition to the TPPA, as it stood.

I now ask you to support the recommendations in Cr Paul Bruce’s notice of motion, especially these parts:

“That the Chief Executive… deliver a report… on the impact that the TPP will have on Greater Wellington Regional Council’s ability to make decisions in the interests of our region, the people and their environment”, and

“That the Council asks that central government carry out… health impact assessments of the potential effects of the TPP.”

Thank you for the opportunity to address you today.

 


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A fat lot of good?

3nN3nDmNfO-4Yesterday the Minister of Health, Jonathan Coleman released his much awaited plan to combat obesity in New Zealand.

His plan focuses on childhood obesity – a good place to intervene we thought. And at first glance it all looks good, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find only half a plan. The half that involves individual responsibility; not the half that would regulate, control and fix the very things that cause obesity – the aggressive marketing of and too-easy access to high sugar, high fat foods and drinks.

That said, the plan is broad (no pun intended), with three focus areas and 22 linked initiatives. Most are not new, but they do now add up to a more coherent approach than we’ve had before.

We were hoping for a bold and effective plan. This plan does not live up to the hype. Trying to deal with a systemic and societal issue by blaming fat kids and their mothers is mean, sexist, unfair and ineffective.

Two of the main recommendations of a 2015 World Health Organisation report on childhood obesity are to impose taxes on sugary drinks and to reduce children’s exposure to the marketing of unhealthy food and drink. The report gives clear guidelines about how to go about achieving these two recommendations.

Our Government has had discussions “on the role industry can play in helping to address childhood obesity. These discussions have included the possibility of voluntary industry pledges, and changes to food labelling, marketing and advertising to children.”

Hmmm. Not exactly earth-shattering. In fact, you might go so far as to wonder if the Government was trying to keep the big sugary drink and fatty food companies on-side. Big sugary drink companies and multi-national fast food companies sure don’t like having their profits threatened by countries legislating and regulating for the good of their citizens.

In fact, if the New Zealand Government did go ahead and legislate for public health it would be at great risk of being sued by those companies, under the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement.

So, a voluntary standard it will be – if anything happens at all. And nowhere near what the World health Organisation is recommending.

The Government’s childhood obesity plan also includes a Health Star Rating, a voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labeling system developed for use in New Zealand and Australia.

Voluntary again, you will note, and with the onus on individual shoppers to make “good” food decisions.

Schools will be encouraged to offer and promote more sport and activity, but won’t be required to provide healthy food and beverage choices. Sure, no one would argue that sport and activity isn’t a great idea – but when it’s not backed up with a wraparound healthy environment there’s only so much we will achieve.

There has already been a lot of comment on the plan, with many saying it doesn’t go far enough and others (teachers and GPs in low-income areas) saying anything is better than nothing.

I think we’d have to agree – the Minister’s plan is better than nothing and it doesn’t go far enough.

To quote NZNO principal researcher Dr Léonie Walker, “There is a need for more prominent and pressing action relating to the impacts of poverty, nutritional poverty and an industry fuelled obesogenic environment.”

Yep!