Health NZ - Whanganui

14/05/2026

Hospitals are 24/7, so is the dedication of our nursing teams.

Our shift nurses work through the night caring for patients during some of their hardest moments. From late-night call bells and early morning medications to comforting anxious patients and supporting whānau, their mahi never stops.

This International Nurses Day, we’re shining a light on our incredible night shift teams and thanking them for the skill, compassion, teamwork, and resilience they bring to every overnight shift.

We appreciate your mahi.

Image: Night shift - Surgical ward at Whanganui Hospital

13/05/2026

The lights never really go out in a hospital, and neither does the care our night shift nurses provide.

Across every shift, our nurses are there monitoring patients, offering reassurance, handling the unexpected, and supporting one another through busy nights that most people never see.

Today, we’re celebrating this amazing team and recognising the commitment, calmness, humour, and heart they bring to the ward while the rest of us are asleep.

Thank you for the care you provide to our community every single night.

Image: Night shift - Medical ward at Whanganui Hospital

13/05/2026

13/05/2026

While much of the region sleeps, our night shift nurses are hard at work caring for patients, supporting whānau, responding to emergencies, and keeping our wards running through the night.

Night shift nursing takes resilience, teamwork, compassion, and a special kind of dedication. It means long hours, missed sleep, family and social sacrifices and showing up with professionalism and care when patients need it most.

This International Nurses Day, we give a special shout out to our incredible night shift team.

Thank you for the mahi you do behind the scenes, overnight, and often without recognition.

Our hospital simply could not function without you.

Image: Night shift - Assessment, Treatment and Rehabilitation ward at Whanganui Hospital.

12/05/2026

We are celebrating International Nurses Day for a week to showcase some of the amazing teams we have across our nursing workforce. Nurses are there for people during some of life’s hardest, happiest, and most uncertain moments, providing care, advocacy, reassurance, and expertise every single day. Here are two of our extraordinary nurses.

Susan (left) was inspired to become a nurse after seeing the care a friend’s mother received in hospital. Susan realised early on the difference nurses can make during some of life’s most vulnerable moments. Nursing offered both purpose and opportunity, combining meaningful work with the chance to build a stable and rewarding career.

One of the highlights of Susan’s career has been working in renal nursing across both Whanganui and MidCentral Hospitals, where she has built long-term relationships with patients and their whānau. Supporting people through chronic kidney disease, dialysis, and major life changes has been incredibly rewarding, particularly seeing how education, compassion, and continuity of care can help improve confidence and quality of life.

Ancy’s journey into nursing began with encouragement from her uncle, who first suggested she consider nursing as a career. What started as a simple suggestion became a deeply fulfilling lifelong path. Nursing has given her purpose, resilience, confidence, and the opportunity to continually learn and grow, both professionally and personally.

A defining highlight of Ancy’s career has been the opportunity to work across a range of roles, from ward nurse to clinical coach supporting new graduates, and now as a Nurse Specialist in renal care working across both Whanganui and MidCentral Hospitals. Throughout each role, the greatest reward has been making a genuine difference during vulnerable moments in patients’ lives. The trust, gratitude, and connections built along the way continue to remind her why she chose nursing.

We appreciate and thank all nursing staff for their mahi, dedication and care they give to the community.

Happy International Nurses Day 2026: empower nurses to save lives

12/05/2026

A huge thank you to the Rapid Relief Team NZ for generously providing lunch today to celebrate our nurses and midwives for International Nurses Day.

It’s a lovely gesture from their hardworking team to ours. A chance to pause, connect, and recognise the incredible care, compassion, and dedication our nursing and midwifery teams bring to patients and whānau every day.

We truly appreciate the ongoing support from the RRT team and their commitment to acknowledging the people who care for our communities around the clock.

11/05/2026

Long after visiting hours end, when business hours are over, our nurses are still here.

Walking softly through dim hallways, checking on patients, responding to emergencies, our nurses are helping people through difficult nights, often without fanfare or recognition.

This International Nurses Day, we’re recognising the incredible contribution nurses make across every part of our health service, with a special acknowledgement to our night shift teams.

The work happening overnight in any hospital is often unseen by the wider community, but it matters deeply to the patients and whānau experiencing it in real time. Thank you for the steady hands, kind words, quick thinking, along with the compassionate care you bring to our community.

To all our nurses, we thank you for your skill, compassion, patience, humour, and resilience. Thank you for the mahi you do, both seen and unseen.

Whanganui Hospital and our communities are stronger because of you.

10/05/2026

A new opportunity is opening up for Rene Bathan, Deskside Engineer, who will soon begin a secondment with the Networking Team as part of our organisation’s networking uplift project.

The secondment marks an exciting step in Rene’s career development and reflects the progress he has made over the past 18 months while working closely with the networking team locally.

During that time, Rene has been building his skills and expanding his knowledge in network systems and infrastructure. The secondment offers the chance to take that learning further, gaining hands-on experience as part of a larger project designed to strengthen the organisation’s digital foundations.

Projects like the networking uplift are essential for ensuring hospitals and services have the reliable digital infrastructure they need. From connectivity to system performance, strong networks help support everything from clinical systems to everyday communication across our teams.

For Rene, the secondment is a chance to step deeper into an area he is passionate about and explore the direction he would like to take in his IT career.

At the same time, the opportunity reflects the value of investing in people and supporting staff to grow their skills within the organisation.

Plans are currently underway to arrange backfill support while Rene is working with the networking team, ensuring local services continue running smoothly.

Kerry Jones, Team Lead Deskside Support for Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora MidCentral, Hawke's Bay and Whanganui, said "It’s been rewarding to see Rene’s development over the past year and a half, and they are looking forward to seeing him take this next step."

Career growth happens one project at a time. This one is an exciting chapter for Rene.

07/05/2026

https://www.wrhn.org.nz/wam

06/05/2026

Midwives who are shaping the path, Marcy

For Marcy, becoming a midwife started with seeing it up close.

Her own midwife made an impression, the way she worked, the connection she had with women, and the role she played in bringing new life into the world. It looked like a pretty special job.

“Hanging out with women, supporting them, and being part of bringing the next generation into life, it just felt right,” Marcy says. “It’s a special moment, one I’m proud to be part of.”

That sense of purpose has stayed with her, through the everyday moments and the ones that don’t quite go to plan.

One night stands out.

Realising there was no way they were going to make it to the hospital in time, Marcy pulled over, climbed into the back seat, and helped deliver a baby right there on the side of the road.

No perfect setup, no extra time, just quick thinking, calm under pressure, and doing what needed to be done.

It’s a moment that captures the reality of midwifery, being ready for anything, wherever it happens.

This week, we’re turning International Day of the Midwife into a week-long celebration of our midwives, like Marcy. With knowledge, compassion and aroha, they sit at the heart of care in our communities, supporting people through one of life’s most significant moments.

Today, we say thank you for the skill, kindness and commitment they bring to their mahi every day.

05/05/2026

Midwives who are shaping the path, Georgina

For Georgina, Clinical Coach, the path into midwifery didn’t start where you might expect. She began in pre-vet studies, drawn to reproductive physiology, before realising her interest sat firmly with people, not animals.

That shift led her into midwifery, a career supporting the arrival of pēpi into the world.

When asked about a standout moment, one night comes to mind.

Six babies delivered across a single shift, each birth completely different. A waterbirth, a set of twins, an emergency caesarean, and a couple of 'straight-forward' births in between. A full spectrum of care, all in the space of one night.

That experience stands out for Georgina - not just for the pace, but for what it represents. The skill to adapt, alongside the teamwork behind every birth.

As a Clinical Coach, Georgina brings that experience into her mahi with others, helping grow confidence, capability and care across the team.

This week, we’re turning International Day of the Midwife into a week-long celebration of our midwives, like Georgina. With knowledge, compassion and aroha, they sit at the heart of care in our communities, supporting people through one of life’s most significant moments.

Today, we say thank you for the skill, kindness and commitment they bring to their mahi every day.