Nursing Council New Zealand
Media Release
27 March 2009

Nursing Sector Welcomes Announcements

The Nursing Council of New Zealand has welcomed announcements made by the Minister of Health which impact on the regulation of nursing practice in New Zealand saying it looks forward to working with the sector to ensure that the profession is structured in a way that best meets the needs of the New Zealand public.

Council chair Dr Margaret Southwick, who is herself a registered nurse and Dean of the Faculty, Health, Education and Social Science at Whitireia Community Polytechnic, says the Council is governed by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance (HPCA) Act and its primary responsibility under the Act is to protect the health and safety of New Zealanders by ensuring that every nurse registered here is competent to provide safe, effective healthcare.

The Government has asked the Nursing Council to work with District Health Boards and the Ministry of Health to expand the role and training of enrolled nurses in New Zealand.

Hospital based training for enrolled nurses ended in 2000 when training institutions stopped offering a second level nursing qualification. Second level training recommenced in 2001 as a year long course leading to registration as a nurse assistant.

Dr Southwick says there has been some ferment about the issue ever since, and the Council already has the matter on its work plan for the year.

“We will start by consulting nurses and relevant stakeholders such as employers and nursing educators, as we are required to do under the Act. We will work closely with the Ministry of Health and District Health Boards to review the educational requirements and role descriptions – scopes of practice - for the various types of nurses (enrolled nurses as opposed to nurse assistants or registered nurses). The objective is to have a ‘staircase’ of qualifications, well-aligned with clearly defined scopes of practice for each type of nursing, to ensure New Zealand has the range of nurses it needs to ensure public safety. I am sure everyone in the sector supports that objective,” Dr Southwick said.

The Minister has also announced that some members of the Nursing Council will be elected by nurses themselves as opposed to all being appointed by the Minister, with the first elections to take place in September. Dr Southwick says the process will begin with a call for nominations and she hopes those with an interest in public safety will come forward.

“There is a common misconception that the Nursing Council exists to serve the profession,” she says. “It is important that nurses interested in serving in this capacity are able to look dispassionately at the competencies nurses require to keep patients safe and well-cared for at a vulnerable time in their lives.”

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