This is weak from the nurses' union.
Of course healthcare should be delivered by professionals. But regulators should also be accountable. ACT has asked reasonable questions about the Nursing Council’s proposed rules for nurses.
The Nursing Council is a statutory body set up by Parliament, with a clear mandate.
It is entirely fair to ask: when regulations shift away from competence and safety, and toward enforcing equity-based worldviews, is the Nursing Council really fulfilling its mandate? And how many nurses will be dissuaded from even applying, if they’re forced to advance a worldview they don’t share?
Nurses themselves are raising concerns with ACT. Everyone wants better outcomes for Māori, but good intentions don’t cut it. We need to be clear about what rules work, why they work, and whether they actually help the nurse on a busy ward do their job better.
And at the end of the day, ACT will never support rules that divide patients into categories based on their background, rather than their individual circumstances. Good care comes from professional judgement, backed by evidence, focused on the person in front of you.