The Nurses Society of New Zealand recently took part in a strategic forum organised by Health New Zealand, designed to provide input on the health system’s response to winter 2026.
Nurses Society director David Wills said the forum provided a good opportunity to discuss issues that occurred during the period.
Winter 2026 clearly placed significant pressure on the health system, with many services struggling to manage the increased demand.
A key contributing factor was the exceptionally high incidence of influenza and other respiratory illnesses. This placed additional demands on already hard-pressed, under-resourced health services and intensified staffing pressures.
"Clearly, there was a gap between resources and need."
The invitation-only forum involved unions representing staff employed by Health NZ.
Participants discussed lessons from the winter 2026 experience in relation to patient care, workforce well-being, staffing, and service delivery.
Proposals to improve preparedness, responsiveness, and co-ordination across the health system ahead of the upcoming summer and next winter were also identified.
Preparations for the upcoming summer are particularly important because of the potential dual impact of El Niño and human-induced climate change.
The Nurses Society of New Zealand recently took part in a strategic forum organised by Health New Zealand, designed to provide input on the health system’s response to winter 2026.
Nurses Society director David Wills said the forum provided a good opportunity to discuss issues that occurred during the period.
Winter 2026 clearly placed significant pressure on the health system, with many services struggling to manage the increased demand.
A key contributing factor was the exceptionally high incidence of influenza and other respiratory illnesses. This placed additional demands on already hard-pressed, under-resourced health services and intensified staffing pressures.
"Clearly, there was a gap between resources and need."
The invitation-only forum involved unions representing staff employed by Health NZ.
Participants discussed lessons from the winter 2026 experience in relation to patient care, workforce well-being, staffing, and service delivery.
Proposals to improve preparedness, responsiveness, and co-ordination across the health system ahead of the upcoming summer and next winter were also identified.
Preparations for the upcoming summer are particularly important because of the potential dual impact of El Niño and human-induced climate change.