Nursing in New Zealand

Chief Nurse Newsletter, January 2008

Greetings and Happy New Year!

Following the overall reorganisation of the Ministry of Health in the autumn of 2007, the Sector Capability and Innovation Directorate (SCI) – the section in which the post of Chief Nurse is hosted - has just completed its’ reconfiguration. We are now in a position to further develop our capacity to support innovation and capability development across the health care sector.

An essential part of the development of SCI has been the recognition of the importance of nursing endeavour in the delivery of quality care to all New Zealanders. For example, we will be increasing our nursing resource through the recruitment of two new Senior Policy Analyst posts.

The reorganisation of the Ministry, and SCI within it, is predicated on an appreciation that partnership working is the way of the future. Gone are the days when the Ministry of Health could be seen as a remote Government agency simply responsible for the oversight of a funding and monitoring regime and the downwards implementation of policy. Today we are repositioning as an integral part of the health care delivery system of our country, working with, and alongside District Health Boards, Primary Health Care Organisations, and all agencies involved in the provision of care.

For nursing specifically, this new philosophy builds on my focus over the past couple of years, in particular the support and development of nurse leaders and working with them to develop and implement policy to promote the best of nursing practice.

With our new structures in place, the position of Chief Nurse has an even more robust grounding within the Ministry and the SCI Directorate, and we have now identified five key objectives for 2008.

These are:

• Continuing to build nursing leadership capacity and capability throughout the health care sector.

• Working with DHB Directors of Nursing to further develop an environment in which nursing leadership is valued, actively sought, and given due credence.

• Developing our nursing workforce to be more representative of the ethnicity of Aotearoa New Zealand, including the building of Maori leadership capacity and capability.

• Further developing a policy framework supportive of nurses being able to deliver quality care in line with their education and competencies, with the reduction of barriers to such practice.

• Supporting the provision of educational opportunities for nurses underpinning their ability to deliver the best possible care.

In addition to this monthly update, we are working hard to develop the nursing presence within the Ministry of Health web site. Over the next few months we intend to add to the site more information which will be of use to anyone wanting to know what is going on in New Zealand nursing, and details of our work in respect of the five key objectives. We are also keen to highlight nursing innovation and would really welcome your contributions.


Regards and best wishes,

Mark Jones
Chief Nurse, New Zealand

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Page last updated: 17 January 2008