The current and ex-presidents’ bids to contest the leadership of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation have been rejected as failing to meet the grade under a controversial new constitution.
Current president Nano Tunnicliff and immediate past-president Marion Guy are now both appealing after having their nominations declined by a new five-member board selection committee for failing to meet all the constitution’s new criteria.
Guy, NZNO president from 2005-2009 and currently an elected director on the board of the International Council of Nurses, said it just seemed “bizarre” that one of the reasons she had been declined was for not fully outlining her view of nursing and the wider health sector.
“My CV is full of my involvement in nursing and the wider health sector. I received a QSO for my contribution to nursing, so this leaves me wondering what more does a nurse have to do to be accepted,” Guy said.
She said other criteria she was told she failed to meet were not showing enough strategic direction, not showing how she would handle conflicts of interest, and not showing her education and understanding of Matauranga Maori and a Maori world view.
Guy said despite this, she did support the new constitution as she had advocated for the president’s position to be a paid full-time position and believes the constitution will work well “once these teething problems are sorted out”. She had prepared a more extensive application, which would now be considered by NZNO’s Membership and Te Poari committees.
Tunnicliff declined to comment, saying it was inappropriate for her to comment while she was in the middle of the appeal process over her presidential nomination. However, she was quoted in NZNO journal Kai Tiaki in May, in response to claims that the new selection process was undemocratic, pointing out that there were selection processes for politicians and other governance roles: “The process hasn’t been set up to stop people standing for the board but it is an acknowledgement that skilled people are needed in governance.”
NZNO president Geoff Annals also declined to speak to Nursing Review, saying it was inappropriate to comment further until the appeals had been heard. He issued a statement saying that the criteria and process for nomination and election of president was determined by the new constitution, which came into effect in May this year.
“I understand in this case the committee has found two nominations do not meet the criteria.”
He said the constitution also provided for an appeal process.
The NZNO journal Kai Tiaki reported earlier this year that voting on the new constitution, which introduces a full-time paid president and kaiwhakahaere and a bicultural structure, attracted just over 5500 votes or about 12 per cent of its membership. It was passed by a slim margin of 3020 votes to 2497 votes.
It has also reported that two regions had put up remits for this week’s NZNO AGM challenging parts of the constitution, including the Wellington region – which described the constitution as “the most contentious and divisive issue facing our organisation in recent memory” – challenging the use of board selection election committee to vet nominees.
The outcome of the AGM is currently not known.
Kai Tiaki also reported that the nomination of a third presidential candidate, former board of director’s member Lyn Latta, was approved by the committee, along with the single nomination for the kaiwhakahaere position, the incumbent Kerri Nuku.
The selection committee is made up of two members elected from the membership committee, two from the Te Poari (the committee of Te Runanga – NZNO’s other arm in its bicultural structure), and an external independent returning officer.
