Editorial

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XII, Issue 4, 1 October 1919, Page 151

Editorial

The Fourth Triennial Meeting of the New Zealand Trained Nurses' Association has just* concluded. During the war the difficulty of gathering members of the Association together has, we fear, weakened the union which is necessary m promoting the interests of the nursing profession, and it has not been possible, by friendly meetings, to foster the spirit of comradeship which is so desirable among all the nurses of the Dominion. Now we hope the ideals of the Association may be revived and we may again push forward and endeavour to attain the various objects with which it was first formed. During these last years it has undoubtedly been the case that each branch has acted independently of the others, and that the Central Council formed of three members from each of the four branches has almost faded out of existence. We urge that an earnest endeavour be made to enrol nurses m the Association, and that they be induced to join without

anticipation of individual gain or advantage, but from the larger point of view of the profession at large. They should realise that nurses everywhere now have a wider scope than ever before, and that this scope, especially m this country, is enlarging day by day. In almost all the schemes put forward for the betterment of the race m regard to health and living conditions, education for the prevention of sickness, trained nurses are required, and indeed the schemes cannot be carried out without them, or at any rate without women whose training must be m part along the lines of the training of a nurse. It is for the nurses to show that the full qualification of a nurse makes a better health visitor, sanitary inspector, childwelfare worker, and so on, than any other woman with only partial qualification. In England we see that m many of these lines of work the trained nurse is rather left out. Let this not be the case m New Zealand.

This young country still needs opening up. Many large tracts of valuable land are now being settled by returned soldiers and their young wives, and nurses can help largely m making this settlement away m the backblocks more possible. They are far from the help of hospital or doctor m case of illness and accident, and a nurse settled m their midst would tend to inspire confidence and allay much of the dread of this isolation. This is a big field that so far has scarcely been touched. We appeal for volunteers for this work, for which the Public Health Department is calling for applications. There is much m it which should give an earnest woman the opportunity of

exercising the knowledge she has gained during her training, with the utmost satisfaction to herself and very great benefit to the countiy. We hope for an adequate response to the crying need of the country settlers.

During the Conference many matters of vital interest to nurses were discussed, an outline of which has been reported m the Press, and reproduced for the information of our readers.