Re: Letter Campaign in Support of Philippine Nurses’ Appeal for Fair Assessment Dear Friends, In the last few weeks, the problems of Philippine nurses over the registration process in New Zealand have been brought to public attention. Philippine Ambassador Bienvenido Tejano reported that there are about 50 “distressed" overstaying Filipinos in New Zealand, many of them nurses who were denied registration by the Nursing Council. There could be more if the Philippine nurses currently applying for registration will also be declined because of the Council’s view that Filipinos who took up nursing as a second course are not good enough to be registered in New Zealand. Thus, on behalf of Philippine Nurses Speak Out! and Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand, we appeal for your support for the Philippine Nurses’ Urgent Appeal for Fair Assessment. Attached herewith is our petition. One letter writer to the Philippine Senate, New Zealand national, Bill Marshall, noted: "Based on my personal experience, having been a patient in Middlemore Hospital heart ward, I can say Thank God for nurses from the Philippines. It has occurred to me that our hospital system (in New Zealand) could risk collapse without the contingency of Filipino nurses that we have. Filipino nurses deserve our respect." We are hoping that a letter campaign across and beyond New Zealand will impact on the Nursing Council of New Zealand to consider our appeal. If you believe in the competence of Philippine nurses, we ask you to demonstrate your support by sending your own short personal message or by adding your signature to a general letter supporting our campaign. Please indicate if you are an employer/superior/client of Filipino nurses/healthcare assistants/caregivers. If you choose to send a personal message to the Nursing Council, you may email to: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Kindly furnish copies to: [email protected] and [email protected]. Thank you very much. RUBY LAT Philippine Nurses Speak Out! AMIE DURAL Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand * Second coursers are those who completed degrees in Biology, Psychology, Dentistry, Medicine, Engineering, Education and others before taking up Nursing, thus already gained credits and finished Nursing in less than four years. LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR PHILIPPINE NURSES' APPEAL FOR FAIR ASSESSMENT We, the undersigned members of Filipino communities and concerned citizens around the world, together with employers, superiors and clients of Filipino nurses/healthcare assistants/caregivers in New Zealand, endorse the petition for fair assessment of Filipino nurses applying for registration in New Zealand. We urge the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) to consider the positive feedback of New Zealanders on Filipino nurses/ healthcare assistants/caregivers. We ask you to recognise the knowledge and skills of Filipino applicants currently in New Zealand who hold nursing as their second course. We believe that Filipino nurses currently stranded in New Zealand, whether they are "second coursers" have served New Zealand's health institutions competently. They deserve to be registered and be able to practice their profession as nurses. Petitioners (for SUPPORTERS of Philippine Nurses Speak Out! Campaign):