Professional activism focus of NZNO conference.

"NZNO--AN organisation building professional activism" is the theme of NZNO's annual conference to be held in Rotorua on September 24 and 25.

NZNO president Jane O'Malley, in her opening address, will make the links between nurses' professional activism and the quality of patient care. "The context within which nurses work drives their professional activism. Quality of care is the foundation for professional activism. Poor pay, nursing shortages, failure to recruit and retain in the profession are all professional concerns and all have a profound impact on quality of care. NZNO wants pay equity for nurses because it is fair and just and because, ultimately, it will improve the quality of care."

O'Malley said active members and staff working together had an important part to play in strengthening the organisation's professional activism.

Te Runanga O Aotearoa NZNO chair Sharon Morunga will be looking at the history of Maori involvement in the trade union movement and the development of Te Runanga within NZNO in her address.

The pay equity campaign and the proposal to review NZNO's democratic structures (see board of directors p26) will feature on the conference agenda. Industrial services manager and architect of NZNO's pay equity campaign Laila Harre will speak on the second day of the conference.

Referring to the structural review, NZNO chief executive Geoff Annals said the structural review committee, set up after last year's conference, had done an excellent and courageous job. Conference delegates will debate a paper outlining the proposed changes to NZNO's structures.

Annals said he expected lively debate on the paper which "shapes the structure of the organisation to the reality, ie that workplaces and colleges/sections are where members engage with NZNO".

A number of rule remits will be debated. The board of directors has proposed a revised NZNO mission statement to include direct reference to the Treaty of Waitangi and to improve the clarity of the statement. The revised statement reads: NZNO is committed to the representation of its members and the promotion of nursing/midwifery. NZNO embraces Te Tiriti O Waitangi and seeks to improve the health status of all peoples of Aotearoa/New Zealand through participation in health and social policy development.

Te Runanga is wanting a rule remit to ensure it has input into determining its annual budget and to have control over that budget, rather than having to seek approval for expenditure from the board of directors. This would be a true expression of partnership, Te Runanga states in its rationale for the rule remit change.

The research section wants to explore the possibility of creating a research centre/institute to co-ordinate research, and conduct research for NZNO. It wants the board, the section, the Nursing Education and Research Foundation and the Health Research Council to explore this possibility. The centre would "advance, enhance and co-ordinate research activity" for the nursing profession and include the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and Maori processes to provide a hub for researchers.

The section believes with the increasing number of specialty sections and colleges, there is a decreasing need for a generic nursing research section.

The Midlands Regional Council has called on NZNO to establish an "industrial action fund that can support nurses to make a real choice in deciding whether or not to engage in such action". Going on strike causes financial hardship for many nurses and the regional council wants an adequate fund available for nurses who choose to go on strike. It wants NZNO to review the hardship fund annually and to include cost of living increases and inflation in adjustments to the fund.

The Bay of Plenty/Tairawhiti Regional Council wants a rule change to ensure Health Professionals New Zealand (HPNZ) members are eligible for office at all levels of NZNO and have the right to all general and professional services. The council states it is unjust for HPNZ members to be denied full NZNO membership rights and responsibilities.

This regional council also wants one organiser per region to attend annual conference because of their close work with delegates, the advice and assistance they can give conference delegates and because of their perspective on the private sector, rarely represented at regional council level.

The national enrolled nurses' (EN) section wants representation on NZNO's board of directors.

Conference workshops include the General Agreement on Trades and Services and globalisation; aged care, primary health care, health and safety, and medico-legal issues. There will also be a presentation on the Foundation for Partnership document and an update on the gerontology section's person-centred care research.

Around 200 delegates are expected at the conference.