A young Plunket nurse working extensively with migrant families won the inaugural NZNO Young Nurse of the Year at an awards ceremony last night.
Katrina Coleman, 27, was one of five nurses honoured at the ceremony held during the annual New Zealand Nurses Organisation conference in Wellington.
The Young Nurse of the Year award was for a nurse under-30 who goes the extra mile and demonstrates exceptional commitment to patients and her profession.
Coleman said she was “blown away” by the award and had it meant missing out on family functions” and only catching up with friends occasionally had been “all for something”.
NZNO media advisor Liz Robinson’s blog reported that Coleman does up to ten home visits a day to meet the needs of the high number of new migrant families she works with in Newtown including families from Somalia, Ethiopia, India, China, and the Middle East.
With the help of local Plunket volunteers she has organised Christmas and winter parcels for families in need and to set up a Link database to help link mothers from the same culture together for social support. The database, run by a volunteer, is now offered across all of Wellington.
The inaugural award was proposed by an NZNO project team of young nurse working to identify ways NZNO can support the new generation of nurses in the workplace. (Find out more at: www.nznursesstation.org )
Fellow young nurse Madeleine O’Connor in presenting the award to Coleman said it had been heartening hearing of the great work done by young nurses nominated from around the country. “Katrina stood out because of the work she has done in her community that goes above and beyond her everyday work.”
Northland nurse wins Māori health award
Maureen Allan’s dedicating much of her extensive nursing career to working with hapu and iwi was recognised with the Te Akenei Hei award for making a significant contribution to Māori health.
NZNO Kaiwhakahaere, Kerri Nuku in presenting the award said Allan had an outstanding and extensive nursing career, particularly in community health, spanning three decades.
“Maureen served a term on the Northland DHB board and seven years on a DHB advisory committee. She was the first manager of Te Hauora o te Hiku o te Ika and spent eight years with Te Tai Tokerau PHO, establishing three adolescent health clinics in Kaitaia and was the first Māori clinical integration leader at the PHO.” Allan also has a Masters degree in Nursing Business and is a current sitting member on the New Zealand Health Practitioners Tribunal.
Three nurses recognised for services to NZNO
Barbara Hammond, initially an EN now RN from Whanganui, was recognised for her work for NZNO including successfully lobbying for a course for enrolled nurses to have the ability to upskill to become registered nurses and as a staunch defender of workplace rights.
Nicki Twigge, a palliative care coordinator and Arohanui Hospice team leader from Palmerston North was recognised for her networking and management skills and her work as an active NZNO delegate.
Rosemary McGillicuddy, a senior staff nurse from Hawke’s Bay was recognised for her work as an active NZNO regional council member, a respective workplace delegate and for being integral to the success of a recent International Nurses Day event showcasing nursing.
