The time has come to recognise the contribution that nurses make to the health of New Zealanders with a substantial salary increase. We see daily accolades to those on the front line during COVID , but it is time to translate this acknowledgement  into action . Thirty five years ago we had to  begin a campaign to articulate the difference we make and we need to move from silence to voice again. 

We are not " just nurses "....... 

We  just make the difference between accessible care or sometimes no care at all…… life and death and from life to death

We just make the difference between early detection of  deterioration in  your condition or not 

We just make the difference between dying in agony and dying in comfort and with dignity and in your own home .

We just make the difference between families coping or despairing

We just make the difference between a “safe space to heal” for whanau, hapu and iwi……  or not !

We  just make the difference between people getting care in the aroha of their community vs the isolation of care in a place they don’t know and who doesn’t ‘know them

We  just make the difference between staying in one's own home or moving to aged residential care 

We just navigate a path for patients and their whanau dealing with a complex health system

We just make the difference between thousands of dollars  wasted on unnecessary admissions vs money redirected to spent elsewhere 

We  just make the difference between well children or children living with  disabilities

We just make the difference between COVID winning or not,  through vaccination , testing and provision of safe care to those in MIQ and hospitals 

We are just the bottom line in health care, and need to be paid enough to keep providing compassionate , kind , safe , timely , effective , efficient , equitable person centred care. 

                   PLEASE HEAR OUR VOICE, WE ARE WORTH MORE !!!