Nurses for Freedom NZ
Dear Friends and Colleagues
Thank you for supporting Nurses for Freedom NZ during 2022; we appreciate each and everyone of you! Thank you especially to all those who have supported us financially, with kind words and prayers.
I thought I would take this opportunity to give you a brief update on the current stage of play before we take a break over the holidays.
As you are aware, a year ago, over 1500 staff from public health services were terminated for refusing to take the Covid 19 vaccine. According to official information requests (OIR) 621 of these were nurses. Sadly, this number does not include those nurses who left before they were pushed, Lead Maternity Carers, Carer’s/Support workers and staff working in non – DHB settings (Non DHB settings are not subject to OIR). It is therefore impossible to calculate the actual number of nurses/carer’s/LMC affected, but considering the current state of our public health system and the existing 4000-5000 deficit in the nursing workforce, even the loss of 50 experienced Kiwi nurses is enough to make a difference.
Interestingly, more recent IOR’s to Te Whatu Ora indicate the number of nurses ‘terminated’ to be less than those in the initial IOR. We are aware that booster requirements and vaccine injuries have forced more nurses out of work so are left with no option but to question the reliability of data we receive.
We currently have over 200 nurses registered with our NFFNZ Nurses Collective and many more who are part of our wider organisation of over 1200. Many of these have chosen to leave nursing or pursue other modalities which indeed is a sad loss to our health system which is currently in crisis.
We are also proud to represent other clinicians who benefit from the support we offer whether 1:1 or as part of our Regional Co-ordinator network. If you are a clinician and looking to connect, please get in touch.
As most of you are aware, this year has been hard. There have been highs and lows. Sometimes it feels we are close to breaking through, other times it feels like we are in the midst of a never-ending nightmare. I would however like to end the year on some of the positive highlights that have presented themselves:
1. Nurses for Freedom NZ teams have established themselves in 14 towns around NZ; feedback indicates this contact and our Telegram support have been lifesavers for many nurses. Our objective to ensure registered nurses are allowed to work in all settings remains clear and we have not deviated from this.
2. NFFNZ has lobbied Members of Parliament, Te Whatu Ora, Nursing Unions and The Government and has been reported on by several media outlets and other professional nursing organisations; positive or negative, we are now known!
3. Our Nurses Hui in November was a great success; thanks to the WTF team (Wellington) plus guest speakers Dr Rene de Monchy, Linda Wharton and Dr Matt Shelton we are looking forward to repeating this event.
4. NFFNZ has plans for 2023 which we cannot reveal as yet however, these plans will ensure our longevity and increase our capacity to be included in making decisions relating to healthcare design in New Zealand. We are also looking into how our teams can support deteriorating mental health within our wider community as a means of giving back.
5. Many of our nurses have returned to work in the aged care sector. Once thought to be the most vulnerable cohort by those who pursue the covid 19 narrative, our nurses are a welcome addition to this understaffed speciality.
6. Despite the ongoing rhetoric and negativity around us, we are still here. We are still standing firm and on the right side of truth. As more and more high-quality, peer-reviewed research is made available we wait for that moment of clarity by the NZ government that brings an acknowledgment for the mistakes they have made over the past two years. We hope to see the new Te Whatu Ora Covid 19 policy reflect this and allow unvaccinated healthcare workers back to work in all settings.
This holiday season we send love and blessings to you and your whanau and hope and pray for reconciliation in 2023.
Kind regards
Deborah