Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland’s School of Nursing is strengthening international partnerships across the Pacific to support the development of the region’s health workforce.
Strengthening Pacific nursing connections
The University sent a delegation to the Cook Islands last month to deliver intensive professional development training for registered nurses.
The postgraduate nursing team—Dr Lesley Doughty (Deputy Head of School), Deb Somerville (Associate Head, Postgraduate Taught), and Wendy Sundgren (Course Director, Clinical Assessment)—travelled to Rarotonga to deliver a two-day intensive course to 15 registered nurses from across the Cook Islands.
The visit marked the culmination of six months of collaboration between Somerville and Cook Islands Chief Nursing Officer Ngatamariki Manea. Together, they explored opportunities for a meaningful partnership and identified educational programmes that would provide significant benefits for nurses working in the Cook Islands.
Somerville is committed to strengthening connections across the Pacific, recognising that access to postgraduate education can be limited in many parts of the region. The initiative aligns with the School of Nursing’s strategic focus on building strong international partnerships, particularly within Pacific communities.
Building advanced clinical skills
The course focused on developing advanced clinical assessment skills across a range of body systems, including cardiac, respiratory, neurological, abdominal and ear, nose and throat (ENT) assessments. Key components also included diagnostic reasoning, interpretation of blood test results and analysis of 12-lead ECGs. Designed to be highly practical and interactive, the programme ensured strong relevance to participants’ day-to-day clinical practice.
Chief Nurse Manea reflected positively on the training, saying:
“The training was highly valuable and warmly received by our nursing staff. It provided participants with practical opportunities to strengthen their clinical assessment skills, enhance critical thinking and clinical reasoning, and build confidence in recognising and responding to patient deterioration.
“The interactive, hands-on approach encouraged active engagement and meaningful discussions, enabling nurses to apply their learning directly to the realities of clinical practice within our healthcare setting.”
Expanding postgraduate opportunities
The team also shared information about the broad range of postgraduate nursing programmes available at the University. They highlighted flexible study pathways, including online learning options, which are particularly well suited to nurses living and working in the Cook Islands.
Online study enables nurses to pursue further education while remaining in their professional roles and serving their communities. The discussions generated strong interest among participants and provided valuable insights into future educational and career development opportunities, including the Nurse Practitioner pathway, which was identified as a key long-term workforce and career development goal.
Growing collaboration across the health sector
While in Rarotonga, the delegation also met with healthcare professionals from Te Marae Ora, the Cook Islands Ministry of Health, as well as Cook Islands Secretary of Health Bob Williams. Both engagements reinforced the strong interest in expanding postgraduate education opportunities and strengthening ongoing collaboration between the two nations.
Looking to the future
Building on the success of the visit, the University is now exploring opportunities to offer a Postgraduate Certificate in Nursing in the Cook Islands. The initiative would enable local nurses to gain a formal qualification while further strengthening clinical practice and supporting the continued development of high-quality nursing care across the region.
This article was originally published by Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
