The results of the election were announced today, with Brookes getting 2275 votes to Guy’s 1845. The four other candidates between them received between 400 to 700 votes each in an election that attracted a 13 per cent turnout of NZNO’s nearly 46,000 eligible members.
Brookes posted a thank-you to his supporters on his campaign blog site today and said after a short break with his family he would start fulfilling his election promise of being “accessible to members” either in person or by social media (he was an active campaigner on Twitter and Facebook during his election campaign). He said he wanted to make members’ issues visible and in particular was looking forward to talking to those who supported other candidates or didn’t vote.
“I would like to hear about your issues and aspirations for NZNO, so we can advance them together over my term as president. Together our members’ diversity can be a strength,” he said.
The mental health nurse originally trained at Otago Polytechnic, after graduating with a science degree, and has worked at Capital & Coast District Health Board since 2002, where he has also been a workplace delegate. He has been an NZNO representative on the DHB’s mental health bipartite action group since 2005 and a member and later convenor of NZNO’s DHB sector National Delegates Committee. Brookes was a member of the negotiating team for the latest NZNO DHB MECA and has stood in both the DHB and Greater Wellington Regional Council elections. He was a board member of NZNO for one year in 2012 and has been a member of the Newtown Union Health Service Board since 2013.
Practice nurse Guy herself ousted a sitting president when she won against then-president Nano Tunnicliff in 2012 to take up a second term as president (Guy had earlier served from 2005 to 2009).
Guy was the first president elected under the new constitution, which saw her and kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku step into full-time paid co-leadership roles. Nuku continues in her role as kaiwhakahaere as she was the only nomination and Tracey Morgan was appointed as her tumu whakarae as there was only one nomination for that role also.
There were two candidates for the vice-presidential role with Rosemary Minto, the NP and former chair of the College of Primary Health Care Nurses NZNO, winning the post with 3295 votes to Sara Mason’s 2683.
NZNO members were offered the chance to vote online for the first time which saw the number of votes cast increase from just over 3700 three years ago to 6263 this time round.
