Who we are

Excellence in nursing education.

Excellence in nursing education, so that nurses can meet the health needs of all people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

A nurse in blue scrubs writing on a clipboard beside a window.

Our purpose

A forum for the profession.

Nursing Education in the Tertiary Sector (NETS), Te Rōpū Kaiako Tapuhi, is the national network of heads of nursing from the institutes of technology, polytechnics and wānanga that educate New Zealand’s registered and enrolled nurses.

Our members collaborate, share good practice and provide a national forum for discussion about nursing education, policy and the future workforce.

NETS has no staff. The network is sustained by volunteers alongside their roles as heads of nursing.

Our people

National co-chairs.

The network is currently co-chaired by Tracey Cook and Dr Judith Honeyfield.

Co-chair

Tracey Cook

UCOL

Co-chair

Dr Judith Honeyfield

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

Two healthcare professionals review a clipboard together.
Working together

Connected by nursing education.

What we do.

A national forum for nursing education

Advocate.

We bring an informed education perspective to national discussions about nursing standards, policy and workforce development, drawing on the experience of the network.

Publish.

Our shared record includes research, graduate destination reports, joint position statements and consultation responses. These resources help make the work of nursing education visible.

Convene.

We provide a national forum to share practice, compare approaches and evaluate nursing education, working with nursing education providers, practice colleagues and sector partners.

Working together, nationally.

Meet the institutions represented across Aotearoa.

Meet our members
Joint statement · July 2026

A United Voice for Nursing Education

WELLINGTON – In a landmark development for healthcare education, three prominent nursing education organisations have formally established a powerful collective voice to advocate for the future of the profession.

At a formal acknowledgement held today at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, a joint commitment to unity and advocacy was affirmed by:

Kawa Whakaruruhau Wharangi Ruamano (KWWR, Māori Nurse academics and clinicians)

Nurse Educators in the Tertiary Sector (NETS)

Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery (CDNM, NZ)

The chairs of the three organisations were joined by more than 40 nursing education leaders from across Aotearoa. Guided by the principles of He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the inaugural hui addressed critical challenges in nursing education, including student hardship and placement poverty.

The sector is currently navigating a period of significant reform with new standards of competence, updates to education standards, and threats to the Nursing Council of New Zealand’s status as an independent regulatory body following proposed changes to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 that will give the Minister of Health the power to overturn their decisions, undermining their clinical and professional autonomy.

In response, the hui also focused on strengthening clinical education and practice with strategies that support the implementation of Kawa Whakaruruhau and cultural safety. Central to this vision is ensuring that Māori nurses are engaged in all levels of decision-making, and nurses are included in governance, on health boards and strategic committees where their expertise can influence patient safety, care quality, equity and health outcomes.

Special thanks to chairs Donna Foxall, Associate Professor Jan Dewar, Josephine Davis (KWWR), Tracey Cook, Dr Judith Honeyfield (NETS) and Professor Nicolette Sheridan (CDNM, NZ).

Since 1992

Our story

NETS was established in 1992 as the National Association of Nurse Education in the Tertiary Sector.

  1. 1973

    Nursing education moves into polytechnics.

  2. 1992

    NETS is founded. The first Bachelor of Nursing degrees begin.

  3. 2003

    Thirty years of tertiary nursing education. NETS records its history.

  4. 2012

    Renamed. Wharangi Ruamano gifts the whakataukī.

  5. 2023

    Fifty years of tertiary nursing education celebrated at Parliament.

  6. 2026

    A united voice with KWWR and the Council of Deans. Incorporation in progress.

Its early records (1990 to 2003) are held in the J C Beaglehole Room at Victoria University of Wellington Library.

NETS

Our partnerships

Kawa Whakaruruhau Wharangi Ruamano

The national group of Māori nurse educators. Wharangi Ruamano has been a member with a seat at every national meeting since at least 2012, and gifted the whakataukī used by NETS.

Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery

The university sector partner. NETS and the Council of Deans have worked together on submissions and, with KWWR, the 2026 united voice for nursing education.

The national nursing table

NETS is listed by the Ministry of Health among New Zealand’s national nursing organisations and is a member of the National Nursing Organisations group.

Records 1990–2003

The NETS archive

NETS records from 1990 to 2003 are held in the J C Beaglehole Room at Victoria University of Wellington Library, accession A2007/04.

The collection occupies 70 linear centimetres. The 2003 history records the development of nursing education and the inaugural heads of nursing schools.

Selected research, submissions and joint statements from the former NETS website are available in the publications library .

Governance · Draft

Constitution

NETS is incorporating under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.

The supplied March 2026 constitution contains suggested changes. It is a draft; the approved constitution and registered society details will be added before launch.

Governance · Publication pending

Meeting minutes

NETS meets nationally three times a year.

Approved, redacted summaries of meetings and discussions will be published on the meeting summaries page . The first approved summaries are still to come.

Governance · Notices

Annual general meeting

The AGM is held at the last national meeting of the year.

An approved AGM notice, meeting details and AGM minutes will be added here. No formal AGM notice has been published in this preview.

Website preview

Privacy

This static preview does not include analytics, advertising cookies, a contact form or a mailing list. It does not collect information through the page.

Fonts are hosted with the website. The preview hosting provider may process access and security information as part of serving this site.

NETS’s full privacy statement will be confirmed before launch, once hosting and contact arrangements are agreed.

Governance · Document pending

Annual report

An approved annual report has not been supplied for this preview.

The document, reporting year and publication date will appear here once available.

Governance · Document pending

Financial statements

Approved financial statements have not been supplied for this preview.

The reporting period and publication date will be added with the approved document.