E ngā iwi, tēnā koutou!
A New Year and a new Board of Directors brings this new regular column to Nursing Pulse in which we will highlight some of the work we do.
One of our tasks as governors is to set the organisation’s guiding values. To the existing values of Whakawhirinaki/Trust, Pono/Integrity, Tika/Fairness, Waharua/Commitment and Whanaungatanga/Relationships, the Board has now added Kindness/atawhai:
“To be kind to each other, without any specific reason; doing good for others; speaking with love/truth; listening with patience; and acting with compassion”.
Thanks to Board member Anamaria Watene for consulting with Kaumātua, to give us this addition.
The Board has also been developing NZNO’s new five-year Strategic Plan 2021-25. We aim to present the final version for approval at the NZNO AGM in September, but a first draft should be out for member consultation before the regional conventions in April.
Feedback last year was that our new plan should demonstrate above all that NZNO is a membership-driven organisation. It should also be about strengthening NZNO’s response to equity and bicultural issues; prioritising; following through; and championing the public image of nursing.
A full review of the NZNO Constitution will follow, once the Strategic Plan is in place later this year. Meanwhile, the Board will be asking members to vote on Constitutional Remits to protect Te Rūnanga’s right to self-determination and to increase flexibility around our employment of the Chief Executive. Online voting on these remits will take place in July and August.
The Board has also agreed to consult members, through the same “one person, one vote” process, about NZNO’s Safe Staffing strategies, including CCDM. Should additional mechanisms to achieve Safe Staffing across all health sectors be considered? More information about this Policy Remit will follow.
In response to the recommendations in Ross Wilson’s report on the 2017/18 DHB MECA bargaining and campaign, the Board has established a MECA committee. Proposed by Board member Anne Daniels, it includes equal representation from Te Rūnanga. This committee will enable closer oversight and support of industrial processes.
Finally the new Board is committed to greater engagement with members, who are now invited to observe our meetings, by arrangement. We will also hold meetings in other regions, away from the NZNO National Office. The first of these regional meetings will be in Ōtautahi/Christchurch on 7-8 April.
For more information about these engagement opportunities, or any other aspect of this Board Briefing, please feel free to email us at kerri.nuku@nzno.org.nz or grant.brookes@nzno.org.nz. •
First published in Nursing Pulse, March 2020. Reposted with permission of the authors.
Your Choice. Your Voice | Grant Brookes for NZNO President 