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RNZ News
a day ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Thousands across New Zealand strike over nurse pay and lack of staffing
By RNZ reporters Not enough nurses and not enough money - that is the diagnosis of the Nurses Organisation for what ails the health system. Thousands of them walked off the job at 9am Wednesday for 24 hours over their deadlocked contract negotiations, which have dragged on since September. Health Minister Simeon Brown insists the pay offer on the table is fair, and accuses the union of hurting thousands of patients with its hard-line tactics. On the picketline in Wellington today, Pip Cresswell told RNZ she quit her job as a charge nurse because she was sick of not being allowed to fill vacancies and working more than 60 hours a week to cover. "We've got 7000 staff in Capital and Coast Hutt Valley and we've got 1000 positions empty. But we're being replaced at the rate that people left last week, so we're never going to get the 1000 people back." Four bus-loads of nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants from Wellington joined forces with colleagues from Hutt Hospital to march past Parliament to offices shared by the Health Ministry and Te Whatu Ora at the top of Molesworth Street. Hutt emergency department nurse Seteli Pelasio said the risk to patients was the worst she had seen in 30 years. Nurses and healthcare assistants strike outside Britomart Station in Auckland. Photo: Wallace Chapman "Bloody scary, it is so scary at the moment. Not just the lack of staffing, but the experience, the staff mix on the floor." Specialist diabetes nurse prescriber Anne-Marie Frew said the nurse shortage meant there was a two-year wait list for patients to get insulin pumps in the region. "I'm scared, I'm really worried about risk. I'm working in diabetes where we've had no increase in our nursing resources for 16 years, despite the exponential growth in people with diabetes, and the technology." Labour's health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall joined the march past the Beehive. "Some of the nurses here today I worked with when I was a specialist at Wellington Hospital. I'm really concerned about some of the things they have to say about understaffing in public hospitals. We can all see that things are getting worse rather than better." Brown blamed the Nurses Organisation for postponing care for 4300 patients. "These are patients who've been waiting far too long on wait lists, who have now been told they have to wait longer. That's the unfortunate reality of the nursing union deciding to strike today." Nurses Organisation chief executive Paul Goulter, who was among the 500-strong picket outside Waikato Hospital today, blamed the government for short-changing the public health system. Nurses protest about dangerous staffing levels at the Hamilton Gardens. Photo: Libby Kirkby-McLeod / RNZ "The issue is it's all about the money and funding and the government has to stump up to restore safe staffing at our hospitals." However, Health NZ chief executive Dale Bramley said he was confident that Health NZ employed enough nurses to staff its hospitals safely. The agency had employed 3000 extra nurses since 2023, with another 2000 in the in the recruitment pipeline, while the number of beds had only gone up by 175 over the last few years, he said. Objective measures of patient safety - including deaths among inpatients, pressure sores and cardiac arrests - had all improved. Protesters in Wellington. Photo: Samuel Rillstone / RNZ "There's a difference between a subjective measure of how you're experiencing the day, and an objective measure of a clinical outcome. "And on most of those objective measures, we would say that patient safety in the last five years is stable or improving." Wait times for elective procedures had also improved in the last five months - but the industrial action this week was going to increase wait times for thousands of patients, putting them at risk, he said. "The more people have to wait for essential care, the more risk sits in those lists." Yet nurses on the front-line say the pressure has increased. Waikato nurse Kristi Barthel gets multiple texts a day asking for her to work extra shifts. "We're all burned out because we're doing extra hours, over-time and we're not getting paid for our over-time, and having to pick up extra shifts." Nayda Heays had just come off a 12-hour shift at Hastings Hospital's intensive care unit. Nurses and supporters protest at Waikato Hospital, Photo: Libby Kirkby-McLeod If she were a construction worker instead of a nurse, she would "not be having to argue for basic health and safety" measures, she noted drily. "I'm tired now, and I'm going to spend the next four hours with my colleagues getting it out to our community that this has to stop." Te Arohanui Ngarimu, who has been nursing in Hawke's Bay for 20 years, said there were more patients now, and they were sicker. "When they come in, they're really sick and we're really stretched because we're short. It really affects our health because we just keep running, and we're not an Ever Ready battery." Dunedin Hospital delegate Robyn Hewlett was among 200 protesters who marched through the city this morning. She works in a busy surgical ward, where patients can wait up to five days for surgery due to staff shortages. Nurses strike on Auckland's North Shore. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel "They are nil by mouth from 2am and then at 8pm they might get cancelled. So they haven't eaten all day, and then they may get a meal if food has been kept for them. And then they're nil by mouth again from 2am." Registered mental health nurse Mitchell said colleagues on the ward when patient numbers rose, there could be assaults and other problems. "There's more aggression potentially or escalations of sometimes violence in those spaces and when there's less staff to be able to manage and to create a safe environment, it can be quite dangerous for people." Hewlett worried people would be put off nursing as a career. "Why train to be a nurse when ... there's no position for you at the end of your three years training and you pay high fees at the polytechs or the universities and then you've got no job to pay for your student loans?" Final-year nursing student Bailey said she was fighting for her future, with fewer than half of mid-year graduates offered hospitals jobs so far. Staff nurses were flat-out trying to care for patients and teach nursing students like herself, she said. "There's not enough of them, it's such a struggle and it's so hard being a student and seeing that, and knowing that in a few years that will be me - if I get a job." In an interview with Morning Report today, Health NZ's acting chief clinical officer, Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard was asked whether Health NZ had the money to hire the nurses it needed. "We're all in a fiscally constrained environment, Health NZ is in a fortunate position at the moment where we have plenty of nurses willing to work with us, and we're keen to employ them where we can." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Irish Sun
21-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
The pretty English train station on the edge of a Victorian seaside town pier which has reopened after 10 months
A UNIQUE floating train ride to the end of the UK's oldest pier is once again welcoming passengers aboard. On the edge of Ryde Pier is a train station that is used to pick up passengers from ferries, which is why it 'floats' over the sea, and it's Advertisement 6 The Ryde Pier Head train station is literally over the sea Credit: Alamy 6 The station connects ferry passengers to the mainland who want to avoid the long walk Credit: Alamy Ryde's The tramway was at first horse-drawn, but it was electrified in 1886, making it one of the first electric tramways in the world and later it was developed into a In October 2024, the train station on the pier was closed in order to undergo renovation work. Upgrades were undertaken to ensure the structure could hold new trains that would be added onto the route - for the first time in 30 years. Advertisement Read More on UK Breaks Lots of the track was replaced, steel barriers were installed, weather screens were put in, and it was freshened up with new paint. The station was due to reopen in May 2025, but was delayed until The station is a stop on the Island Line train service that operates between Ryde and Shanklin. The journey offers incredible views, and doesn't cost much either - the one-stop trip from Ryde Esplanade to Ryde Pier costs £1.70 and takes two minutes. Advertisement Most read in News Travel Exclusive Tickets from Ryde to the neighbouring town of Shanklin cost £3.90. A pier train station isn't all the town has to offer - the seaside town is so charming that it was even the inspiration behind the Beatles song, The Mykonos-like beach restaurants in the Isle of Wight 6 Appley Beach is one of the most popular stretches of coastline in Ryde Credit: Alamy 6 The town has charming shops and markets too Credit: Alamy Advertisement said the title referred to "a British Railways ticket to the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight ." One of the most popular spots is Appley Beach - the coastline has long stretches of soft sand, a cafe and playground. Visitors say that the beach gets even bigger at low tide making it ideal for kids and families. And the stretch of beach nearest the village of Seaview is dog-friendly too. Advertisement One beachgoer wrote on On Appley Beach is a historic watchtower that used to be part of a sprawling family estate. 6 The remains of Appley Towers sit just off the beach Credit: Alamy The tower is right on the beach and formed part of the home of the Hutt family, who owned the Appley House in the late 1800s. Advertisement Ryde is great for shopping, with Union Street lined with boutiques, gift and souvenir shops. If you continue walking, you'll reach The town has, on average, the most The beach at Shanklin is one of the better-regarded stretches of shoreline on the , with its traditional English seafront promenade adding to the seaside resort experience. Advertisement Here's more on why visitors say heading to the And where to find the 6 Ryde is home to a unique Victorian pier and 'floating' train station Credit: Alamy
RNZ News
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
A chocoholics dream, Hutt Hot Chocolate challenge kicks off
A chocoholics dream, a competition to create a unique hot chocolate drink. The Sweet as Hutt Hot chocolate challenge was started in 2015 by the Hutt City council to help regenerate the city centre and coax people out during the cold months. This year there are 13 finalists, including the mid winter'd, gingerbread flavoured with hints of cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla bean, as well as the "squirrell swirl", salted caramel with smooth peanut butter and snack sized snickers bars on the side. The winner is decided by a public vote and a panel of judges. One of those judges, Toby Sanderson spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Ottawa Citizen
03-07-2025
- Ottawa Citizen
Widow of man who drowned at Westboro Beach praises those who saved her son
A day after losing her husband, the widow of the man who drowned near Westboro Beach praised those who saved her son's life. Article content In a post to a Westboro community Facebook group, Amanda Laflair said she and her family were not OK, but said she was 'grateful so very grateful my sone is alive.' Laflair also thanked the emergency responders and medical professionals in the post. Article content Article content Article content 'God bless you guardian angels for helping to save my baby,' Laflair wrote. Article content Article content Laflair confirmed to CBC News that the man who drowned Wednesday was 42-year old Rowell Navarro. The Ottawa Police Service could not confirm the name of the deceased to the Ottawa Citizen. Article content The Ottawa Citizen attempted to contact Laflair, but did not hear back in time for publication. Article content Laflair has set up a GoFundMe page, writing that she, 'Tragically lost my husband when he drowned trying to save our 8 year old son.' Article content Laflair said she is raising funds to help pay for the funeral and support the family, as she will be unable to work. Article content The incident occurred near Westboro Beach on July 2 at about 1:40 p.m. Article content 'When crews arrived on scene it was confirmed that an 8-year old child was safely rescued from the water,' Paul Hutt, chief for the Ottawa Fire Services, said in a statement. 'However, an adult male who entered the water had gone missing.' Article content Article content Hutt said that at approximately 2:25 p.m., the man was located through a grid search and using SONAR (sound navigation and ranging). Article content Article content 'While the incident occurred near Westboro Beach, it did not take place at the beach site, and City lifeguards stationed at the beach were not involved in the response,' the statement continued. Article content The father and son were swimming away from the public beach because they had the family dog with them at the time, Laflair wrote on her GoFundMe page. Article content Const. Fern John-Simon, spokesperson for the Ottawa Police Service, confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen that the incident occurred outside the sightline of lifeguards working at the beach. Article content Hutt also shared 'heartfelt condolences' to the deceased's family and loved ones. Article content 'Our thoughts are with those impacted by this incident,' Hutt said. Article content According to John-Simon, the adult man and his child were swimming before they were in distress. At the time, police said, a passerby walking by heard the father and child struggling, and they went into the water to rescue the child.
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Scoop
Wheeled Excavator Programme Clears The Way For Safer Roads In Hurunui
Press Release – Hurunui District Council Water is the biggest enemy of the roading network, said Councils Chief Operations Officer Dan Harris. The wheeled excavator programme is helping to move water away from our roads as quickly as possible, making a real difference to road safety and … A new 'light-touch' initiative to improve roadside drainage across Hurunui District is already proving its worth, with 150 kilometres of roadside cleared in just the first month of Council's wheeled excavator programme. 'Water is the biggest enemy of the roading network,' said Council's Chief Operations Officer Dan Harris. 'The wheeled excavator programme is helping to move water away from our roads as quickly as possible, making a real difference to road safety and road quality.' 'It's a smart, light-touch approach,' said Council's Roading Manager Charlie Hutt. 'We're opening up culvert ends, getting water moving and making note of the roads needing a little more.' Hutt said the work often occurs where large-scale drainage work would have been too costly or disruptive. Two wheeled diggers are employed to carry out the roadside drainage improvements, reshaping and clearing culverts, removing trees and opening up blocked drainage channels. Each digger is accompanied by a spotter, armed with a shovel and a sharp eye, ensuring targeted, efficient maintenance. Councillor Robbie Bruerton, Chair of the Operations Committee, described the initiative as a 'good piece of work, done the right way.' 'The biggest complaints we were getting were about drainage and road deterioration.' The programme had tackled those issues, with real cost savings, Bruerton said. The programme follows a trial undertaken in 2023, with an additional pilot carried out in 2024 around well-known hot spots in the district that were prone to flooding. Hutt said these previously problem areas were performing well, even after recent rain. Funding for the current and next two financial years has been budgeted for in the Long Term Plan. Part of a further year will be funded by Resilience Improvements money granted by Waka Kotahi NZTA, on Council's Vulnerable Roads. Mayor Marie Black welcomed the success of the trial. 'This is a great example of innovation and partnership delivering better outcomes for our communities.'
