Third-generation Nurse on why she Strikes

People say that nurses are the foundation of a healthcare system. As the world faced a global pandemic it was our nurses that laid the foundation at our frontlines as they battled Covid19 on top of continuing to care for others who were ill from other ailments. Today nurses strike as they express their disappointment in the current their working conditions and pay, despite continuosly serving our communities during the toughest times.  

Nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants at public hospitals and district health board facilities striked today for 8 hours in New Zealand. This followed in the wake of 30,000 members of the New Zealand Nurses’ Organisations voting to reject the latest offer from the District Health Boards amid concerns about pay, conditions, and safe staffing. 

"Safer staffing, sick leave and fair pay enhances the mana for kaimahi hauora. Our people deserve quality healthcare. If we want to ensure the health of our future, truly valuing the future of our profession is a good place to start. Aotearoa New Zealand deserves our best. Take care of us so we can take care of you." says striker Sarah Elisaia.

Sarah Elisaia is a young Pasifika nurse based in Auckland. She is a third generation nurse, with both her grandmother and mother being nurses. Her family not only care for people in Aotearoa but also the wider Pacific. Her Aunty is a practicing nurse in Pago Pago and her grandfather served as a Psychiatrist at the LBJ medical centre in American Samoa too.

It was this family legacy of caring for others that lead Sarah in to nursing. She expressed her connection to this role by saying “I can’t distinctively remember wanting to become anything but a nurse growing up- it was always something that stuck. As I grew up, the way I was raised and my own passions solidified my purpose behind pursuing a career in nursing. I’ve quickly learned how this profession is more appropriately a vocation”.

Today Sarah took to the streets alongside thousands of her fellow nurses highlighting the impact of under serving healthcare workers. There are over 1500 Pasifika nurses in New Zealand making up a large part of the fabric of the countries healthcare system, these nurses showed up to the strikes today to raise their voices about being overworked and underappreciated.

Sarah expressed her gratitude for her fellow Pasifika nurses by saying, "As a Pasifika nurse, serving others is who we are. Seeing other Pasifika colleagues in the crowd today reminded me of how important it is to demonstrate to our future Pasifika nurses that we should always feel encouraged to ask for what we deserve. Representation matters and our healthcare system needs more Pasifika nurses- today was for the future of a profession I hope will become more enticing, valued and considered".