Nursing rally seen and heard
Nurses and midwives were ‘‘standing strong’’ in a rally outside Wellington Hospital yesterday for what is likely to become ‘‘weeks of action’’.
A wall of purple and placards asking Wellingtonians to ‘‘toot for nurses’’ and ‘‘honk for health’’, lined Riddiford St.
They’re seeking better pay, patient care and safe staffing levels, and Aretha Franklin’s Respect blared from a speaker beside a crowd of about 100 for two hours.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) president and registered nurse Grant Brookes said it was time to rebuild the health system after years of underfunding.
‘‘We need the immediate staffing crisis to be addressed. There just aren’t enough of us to deliver the care that people need. We also need to be fairly rewarded for the skilled work we perform.’’
He said public support was vital in achieving those goals, especially ahead of next month’s Budget.
Nurses were hopeful, Brookes said. ‘‘The Government needs to know how urgent it is that investment is restored. This has really become weeks of action which kicked off this week all around the country.’’
Brookes said he had been a nurse for 21 years and in that time had seen a lot of changes, not all of them for the better.
A simple toot from cars, buses, fire trucks and jingles from cyclists bells kept the crowd vibrant at yesterday’s rally.
Registered nurse Freya Head said a strike was a last resort and something they all took seriously but nurses and midwives were at wit’s end. ‘‘This can’t go on anymore. This is us saying we need help. We’re usually the helpers but we need help now. I would love it if we could come to an agreement without going on strike.’’
She said it would be nurses and patients who would miss out if they were forced to go on strike.
Capital and Coast DHB midwife Sarah Gilbertson said midwifery was not misunderstood but undervalued and under-resourced because of its origins as a predominantly female profession.
Midwives should be paid fairly
‘‘This can’t go on anymore. We’re usually the helpers, but we need help right now.’’ Registered nurse Freya Head
for the ‘‘amazing work that we give the New Zealand public’’, she said.
‘‘Come on New Zealand, lead the way with equal pay.’’
The protest follows a rally in Auckland on Thursday. Nurses also rallied in Dunedin, Christchurch and Whangarei yesterday.