Combating Racism in Nursing – A Tri-Nations Perspective
| Friday, July 25, 2025 |
| 8:55 AM - 9:35 AM |
| Royal Theatre |
Overview
Panel members,
Adj. Professor Karrie Long MPH, Grad Dip Crit Care, BN,RN, Chief Nurse and midwifery Officer, Safer Care Victoria | Professor Sabina Knight AM, Director, James Cook University Central QLD, Centre for Rural and Remote Health | Professor Lynore Geia Professor of Nursing & Midwifery, Edith Cowan University | Professor Sue Tranka RN,PGDip,MSc, FQNI, FFRCSI, Chief Nursing Officer Wales, Welsh Government | Lorraine Hetaraka, Chief Nurse Ministry of Health, New Zealand Government | Nadine Gray RN, PGDip, MHSc, National Chief Nursing Officer, New Zealand.
Details
Sue Tranka, Lorraine Hetaraka & Nadine Gray will be joining virtually.
Speaker
Professor Lynore Geia
Professor of Nursing & Midwifery
Edith Cowan University
Combating Racism in Nursing – A Tri-Nations Perspective
8:50 AM - 9:30 AMAbstract
Background - Nurse leaders must commit to eradicating racism and dismantling systems of oppression in health. In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand impacts of colonisation and systemic racism towards Indigenous peoples including nurses’ ,challenges better health outcomes for this population. In Wales, Nurses from the global majority are wholly underrepresented in leadership positions.(1)
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Biography
Nadine Gray
National Chief Nursing Officer
Health New Zealand
Combating Racism in Nursing – A Tri-Nations Perspective
8:50 AM - 9:30 AMAbstract
Background - Nurse leaders must commit to eradicating racism and dismantling systems of oppression in health. In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand impacts of colonisation and systemic racism towards Indigenous peoples including nurses’ ,challenges better health outcomes for this population. In Wales, Nurses from the global majority are wholly underrepresented in leadership positions.(1)
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Biography
Lorraine Hetaraka
Chief Nurse Ministry of Health
New Zealand Government
Combating Racism in Nursing – A Tri-Nations Perspective
8:50 AM - 9:30 AMAbstract
Background - Nurse leaders must commit to eradicating racism and dismantling systems of oppression in health. In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand impacts of colonisation and systemic racism towards Indigenous peoples including nurses’ ,challenges better health outcomes for this population. In Wales, Nurses from the global majority are wholly underrepresented in leadership positions.(1)
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Biography
Lorraine Hetaraka is the Chief Nurse at the Ministry of Health New Zealand, a role she has held for 4 years. She contributes to national nursing policy, provides expert advice to government, and champions professional leadership for nurses across Aotearoa/New Zealand. With a career spanning over two decades, Lorraine is widely recognised for her commitment to advancing Nursing practice and driving equitable health outcomes for all communities.
Lorraine began her nursing career in 1997 as a RN in a dementia facility then secured the role as the first Māori (indiegnous people of New Zealand) new graduate at Tauranga Hospital. Her early experiences, shaped by her upbringing in a military family as well as witnessing health inequities within her whānau (family), and community inspired her lifelong dedication to improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations.
Her career trajectory includes significant leadership roles:
• Chief Executive of Te Arawa Whānau Ora, working with governmental, and Community agencies to support a collective of Hauora Māori (Indigenous Health) providers to deliver integrated health and social services for vulnerable populations within Te Arawa/Rotorua region.
• Primary Care Nursing Leadership, including quality and safety, workforce development and implementing models care. She has extensive experience having worked at the National Hauora Coalition, ProCare Health (Primary Healthcare Organisations), and Homecare Medical, National telehealth service (now Whakarongorau), where she developed improvement programmes, and lead workforce development programmes.
• Associate Director of Nursing at Auckland District Health Board and the University of Auckland, a joint position, where she championed workforce development for Māori nurses and lead the Nursing Graduate Programme (Primary Healthcare), Post Graduate and undergraduate support programmes and rangatahi (youth) focused health career programmes.
Lorraine holds a Master’s degree with first-class honours from the University of Auckland. Her thesis, He Ope Awhi, explored best practices for recruiting Māori new graduate nurses, leading to a successful pilot that saw the highest-ever employment of Māori graduates in primary care in Counties Manukau.
Throughout her career, Lorraine has demonstrated expertise in strategic leadership, policy, governance, and workforce planning. She is committed to supporting and empowering nursing leadership, with a focus on ensuring equitable, culturally safe care for all New Zealanders.
Lorraine is affiliated with Ngāti Kahu, Tapuika, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāiterangi, and Ngāti Ranginui. Her vision is to empower nurses to lead transformative action towards a healthier, more equitable future for Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Professor Sabina Knight AM
Director
James Cook University Central QLD Centre for Rural and Remote Health
Combating Racism in Nursing – A Tri-Nations Perspective
8:50 AM - 9:30 AMAbstract
Background - Nurse leaders must commit to eradicating racism and dismantling systems of oppression in health. In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand impacts of colonisation and systemic racism towards Indigenous peoples including nurses’ ,challenges better health outcomes for this population. In Wales, Nurses from the global majority are wholly underrepresented in leadership positions.(1)
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Biography
Professor Sabina Knight AM is an experienced nurse, leader, advocate in the health and higher education sectors with deep expertise in rural, remote and Indigenous health, workforce, policy and education. She is a founding member and Fellow of CRANAplus, a founding member and chair of the National Rural Health Alliance, the Central Australian Rural Practitioners Association, and an active Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing.
She has also been recognised by the profession and the discipline of remote health with an Aurora award in 2004 and 2020 and an AM in 2021. She is also a Fellow of the Rural Leadership Australia and current board member the Western Queensland PHN. Her policy expertise has been widely utilised in a range of settings - in 2008 Professor Knight also served on the Expert Panel on the Social Impacts of Drought and as a Commissioner on the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission and more recently on several technical working groups of the Department of Health and the Qld Health Reform Group 2020 and as an Independent Reviewer of Improving Access to Medicare in Thin Markets with Mick Reid.
She is the Director of the relatively newly established Central Queensland Centre for Rural and Remote Health for James Cook University, based in Emerald.
Adjunct Professor Karrie Long
Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer
Safer Care Victoria
Combating Racism in Nursing – A Tri-Nations Perspective
8:50 AM - 9:30 AMAbstract
Background - Nurse leaders must commit to eradicating racism and dismantling systems of oppression in health. In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand impacts of colonisation and systemic racism towards Indigenous peoples including nurses’ ,challenges better health outcomes for this population. In Wales, Nurses from the global majority are wholly underrepresented in leadership positions.(1)
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Biography
Karrie Long is a visionary nursing leader with more than 30 years' experience driving health innovation across health and the nursing profession to ensure safer and more effective patient care. As Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer she provides strategic clinical and professional leadership and advice to various Ministers, across government and the broader health and hospital sector. Karrie brings with her an expansive knowledge of public health in Australia through her roles as a clinician, digital health designer, researcher, board director and interim Chief Nursing Officer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She has a Graduate Diploma in Advanced Clinical Nursing (Rural Critical Care) and a Master of Public Health. She has an adjunct position with Deakin University School of Nursing and Midwifery (Alumnus). Karrie was awarded the Women’s Leadership Scholarship to the London Business School Senior Executive Program 2024 and is a 2022-23 Florence Nightingale Foundation Global Scholar where she was awarded the Inaugural Dame Yvonne Moores Scholarship. Karrie is the current Chair of the Australian Council of Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officers.
Mrs Sue Tranka
Chief Nursing Officer Wales| Nurse Director NHS Wales
Welsh Government
Combating Racism in Nursing – A Tri-Nations Perspective
8:50 AM - 9:30 AMAbstract
Background - Nurse leaders must commit to eradicating racism and dismantling systems of oppression in health. In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand impacts of colonisation and systemic racism towards Indigenous peoples including nurses’ ,challenges better health outcomes for this population. In Wales, Nurses from the global majority are wholly underrepresented in leadership positions.(1)
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Methods - Discussions occurred with nurse leaders from Wales, Australia and New Zealand as part of a Global Scholarship project which aimed to promote equity in career progression for Welsh global majority nurses. An opportunity was seized to capture the tri nations review of racism in Nursing as a secondary outcome.
Results
• Discussion compared initiatives, strategies, and evidence of racism across three nations revealing:
• Data and accountability are pivotal to build an equitable and anti-racist organisation
• Optical allyship and its challenges to the organisation
• Indigenous and global majority nurses must feel supported in practice and to progress to leadership roles
• Importance of embedding and measuring cultural competency across workforce
Wales Chief Nursing Officer prioritised reducing health inequalities, strengthening leadership, ensuring professional equity and opportunity. The first ever set of Welsh workforce race equality data illustrated ethnic minority nurses are 1.75 times less likely to be appointed than their white counterparts (1)
Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience profound inequity in health outcomes. Despite knowledge that ATSI health workers support better health outcomes for ATSI people, persistent individual and institutional racism limit participation and advancement of ATSI staff in nursing education and practice .
In New Zealand racism and ethnic bias was found to exist both implicitly and explicitly in the nursing workforce . A key barrier in addressing racism is the lack of investment in cultural safety and Te Tirirti o Waitangi professional development. Nursing was a participant in supplanting indigenous health knowledge during colonisation.
Conclusions - These perspectives challenge Nursing to have courageous and deep conversations within our profession to uncover the aetiology of racism and build a path to eradication. Rigorous changes to nursing education, practice, and research, are required.
Biography
Sue Tranka is the Chief Nursing Officer for Wales and Nurse Director of NHS Wales as of 2021. She was formerly the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for Patient Safety and Innovation at NHS England and Improvement.
Sue has 33 years of varied experience in nursing and has spent the last 26 years working in the National Health Service. Sue trained as a midwife, registered general nurse, mental health nurse and community nurse. Sue has a strong interest in quality improvement, human factors and safety systems.
As of April 2022, Sue holds the title of Honorary Visiting Professor at Cardiff University.
In October 2020 and again in 2024, Sue was listed among the Health Service Journal’s 50 most influential people in health from a Black, Asian and minority ethnic background. Sue is a fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), at the Faculty Nursing & Midwifery since December 2024.
