The Nursing Council of New Zealand/Te Kaunihera Tapuhi o Aotearoa publishes new Strategic Plan

The Nursing Council has published its Strategic Plan, governing our work from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024.

This Strategic Plan sets out what we intend to achieve over the next two years. It outlines the priorities that will drive our actions, our projects, and the way we approach our work over that period.

Because there are significant changes taking place in the health environment, the Council has decided to plan for two years rather than five. This allows us to revisit, and if necessary refresh and renew, our strategic direction in 2024. At this time we will have a clearer picture of how our new health and education structures are operating, and any longer-term effects of the pandemic on nurses and nursing.

The Strategic Plan sets out five priorities which will guide the decisions that Council makes, our interactions with others, and where we focus our resources over the next two years. They will shape the annual work programmes we pursue, and set key considerations for how we will go about that work. In addition to priorities focused on maintaining competence, managing evidence, and communicating well, the new Strategic Plan includes priorities focused explicitly on equity for Māori and on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Council’s strategic priorities for 2022 to 2024 are:

1. To ensure that our work embodies Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and promotes equitable outcomes for Māori across systems of nursing practice, education, and regulation.
2. To uphold and establish standards and competencies that protect the public, and are appropriate, relevant, and reflect the future of the nursing profession.
3. To gather, use, and learn from the best available data and evidence.
4. To be visible and actively engaged with the public, the profession, and the systems that affect nursing.
5. To promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within systems of nursing practice, education, and regulation.

The Council’s Strategic Plan is available on our website at Strategic Plan Mahere Rautaki.

Te Kaunihera Tapuhi o Aotearoa/Nursing Council of New Zealand is the authority responsible for the regulation of nurses in Aotearoa New Zealand. Under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, our purpose is to protect the health and safety of the public by ensuring that nurses are competent and fit to practise.