Latest news with #Conaghan
Otago Daily Times
16-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
'Stressful, burnt out' Christchurch health workers meet to share their struggles and horror stories
By Rachel Graham of RNZ Spinal patients having to wait for specialist care, psychiatrists struggling to keep up with the workload and student nurses eyeing up Australia before they are even fully trained - these were just some of the stories shared at a meeting about the health system in Christchurch. The meeting was organised by the Nurses Organisation, as a chance for people to come together and talk about the pressures they are facing. After 18 years working as a district nurse, union delegate Maree Vincent said she has never seen conditions so bad. "Stressful, burnt out nurses, huge patient loads, pay inequities, no pay parity, and funding not being dropped down to the primary health to keep going." She said one of the joys of her role was getting to know her patients, but that was harder when workers were increasingly short on time. Trainee nurse and the national student representative for ARA polytech, Dawn Blyth said student nurses were also feeling the stressed, with many struggling with the high cost of living while doing unpaid clinical placements and no certainty of a job at the end of their training. "Even last year in our first year, a lot of students in our cohort were talking then - I'm going to go to Australia, because the pay is better and there are more jobs over there," said Blyth. Carin Conaghan is a psychiatrist at Christchurch's Hillmorton Hospital and a delegate with the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. She said her sector, too, was under more pressure than ever. "Our staff are having increased workloads," Conaghan said, "in terms of the number of people they are managing. The people that we are seeing are coming in more unwell. And that is impacting on staff's well being." She said more psychiatrists were leaving the public sector each year than joining it. Conaghan said in the past, people accepted that the pay in New Zealand was less than in countries such as Australia or the UK, but the working conditions were the draw card. But that was no longer the case. She said psychiatrists were getting paid up to 60% less in New Zealand than in Australia. Andrew Hall, national programme manager of the New Zealand Spinal Trust, said the problems within the health sector for people with spinal injuries could feel overwhelming. "Waitlist to get into the spinal service, two spinal unit(s) in New Zealand both of which have long waitlists," Hall said. "New acutes are waiting in the acute hospitals to come across to the units because of a lack of space. And some innovative things having to be done to manage people in private hospitals, for people who would normally be in care in the spinal units." Health administrator and PSA delegate Nancy McShane said she and others fought for 13 years to get pay equity for administration and clerical workers, which was settled in 2022. In 2023 McShane received a Queen's Service Medal for Services to Women and Equal Pay for that work. She said the recent changes to the pay equity system will have a terrible impact on the health system. "I think about the care workers in particular. This really angers me. They had a claim before us. They opened the door to all the other pay equity claims, and now they have had the rug pulled out from under their feet," McShane said. She said rest home care was already in crisis, and the changes to the Equal Pay Amendment Act will only make the situation worse.
Mercury
01-05-2025
- Business
- Mercury
Ranked: Brisbane's top 920 lawyers named
Don't miss out on the headlines from Business. Followed categories will be added to My News. Brisbane is outpacing Sydney and Melbourne in the race to attract top legal talent as one of the city's most experienced law practitioners Tony Conaghan has been recognised as the city's top lawyer. With 45 years plus under his belt and a senior partner with Thomson Geer, Mr Conaghan was the only Brisbane lawyer to make the national Top 10 list in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in Australia. Mr Conaghan made the list for his expertise in complex commercial agreements and disputes, particularly across intellectual property, information technology, life sciences, licence type arrangements and franchising. The list is produced by Best Lawyers and they spotlight the top 5 per cent of legal talent in Australia and it revealed that Brisbane is outpacing Sydney and Melbourne for best in law talent growth. Best Lawyers vice president of Research and Development Elizabeth Petit said the concentration of the top legal minds was traditionally centred in Sydney and Melbourne. 'Brisbane has emerged as a growing hub, attracting a rising number of high-performing legal professionals – likely driven by the city's population growth, economic development and expanding legal market,' she said. 'Sydney and Melbourne maintain their longstanding reputations as powerhouses for top legal talent, however their growth has not been as dramatic.' According to the latest published results, which are determined by peer review, 4586 lawyers have been recognised on the overall honorees list with 329 achieving a spot on the 'Lawyer of the Year' list. More than a third, or 1953 lawyers, on the full honorees list are based in Sydney, up from 1612 last year. In second place is Melbourne, where 1514 lawyers included on the list are located, up from 1266 last year. Brisbane had 920 lawyers – up from 744 last year, a 24 per cent increase. A record 69 Brisbane lawyers were recognised as Lawyer of the Year, and the top three firms represented on this list were King & Wood Mallesons (six winners); Herbert Smith Freehills (five winners) and MinterEllison (five winners). Clayton Utz has a whopping 122 honours on Best Lawyers 2026, the most of any Brisbane firm. Meanwhile, 799 lawyers across Australia were identified as rising stars on the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Australia list. McInnes Wilson Lawyers represent the largest number of Brisbane Ones to Watch lawyers – a list featuring up and coming legal stars Women comprise 77 per cent of recognised legal talent in Ones to Watch in Brisbane, far above the 57 per cent of women represented in Ones to Watch Australia, hinting at a bright future for Queensland women in law. Originally published as Ranked: Brisbane's top 920 lawyers named
