10 - 11 November 2026 | Crowne Plaza, Auckland

Nursing and the law

Stay up-to-date on the latest legal issues in nursing practice at the Nursing and the Law Conference

Nursing and the Law 2026 is a must-attend conference for nurses, nurse leaders, and healthcare professionals navigating an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment.

With escalating demands around accountability, patient rights, safe staffing, and emerging issues like end-of-life care and AI, nurses are more exposed than ever to ethical and legal risk. This event provides essential updates, expert insights, and practical tools to help nurses stay compliant, empowered, and protected in your practice. Whether managing teams, making clinical decisions, or advocating for patient safety, this conference will equip the attendees with the knowledge to uphold professional standards and deliver care within the law.

Supporting organisation

We’re super excited to have the College of Nurses Aotearoa as a supporting organisation for this conference.

If you’re a member of the College of College of Nurses Aotearoa get in touch with them to get a discount (code) on the current pricing.

Key themes not to be missed

Legal Compliance in Practice

Understanding new laws, scopes of practice, and regulatory updates.

Navigating privacy, confidentiality, end-of-life and ethical decision-making.

Role of the Practice & Risk Management

Clarifying roles, delegation, documentation, and professional liability.

Expanded autonomy in primary, mental and rural care.

Workforce wellbeing and Developments

Addressing legal duties around mental health, moral injury, and safe staffing.

Digital Nursing & AI – benefits & risks.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi & Cultural Safety

Embedding equity, partnership, and culturally responsive care

KEY SPEAKERS 2026

Our 2026 key lineup bring together thought leaders, trailblazers and expert practitioners in nursing.

Catherine Byrne

Chief Executive/Registrar

Nursing Council of New Zealand

Kerri Nuku

Kaiwhakahaere

New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Kate Weston

Executive Director

College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ)

Why you need to attend

Professional Development & Risk Management: Stay current on legal updates and learn to reduce risks in your practice.
Cultural and Ethical Practice: Understand your obligations under Te Tiriti and navigate the use of new technologies like AI.
Advocacy & Networking: Advocate for safe staffing solutions and connect with leaders in the field.

Venue

The location and how you can get there

Address

Crowne Plaza, 128 Albert Street, Auckland CBD

2026 Agenda:

8:50	Registration and Coffee
9:00	Opening Remarks from the Chair Kate Weston, Executive Director, College of Nurses Aotearoa
9:10	The Changing Nursing Regulatory Landscape: Sector Developments, HPCA Reform and What Comes Next Examining key regulatory and professional developments affecting nursing across Aotearoa Understanding the direction of proposed HPCA reform and where it sits within wider health-sector change Exploring what current and future changes could mean for nursing practice, professional accountability, and public safety Considering the implications for nurses, employers, regulators, and healthcare organisations Understanding evolving expectations around competence, conduct, scope of practice and fitness to practise Preparing nursing leaders and teams to respond confidently to a changing regulatory environment Kate Weston, Executive Director, College of Nurses Aotearoa
9:50	Health Reform, Te Tiriti Obligations and Nursing Practice Understanding Te Tiriti obligations within the current health system Exploring how health reform affects nurses, providers and patient rights Strengthening equity-focused nursing practice and decision-making Supporting culturally safe care across clinical, community and aged care settings Translating legal and policy obligations into practical nursing responsibilities Kerri Nuku, Kaiwhakahaere, New Zealand Nurses Organisation
10:30	Morning break
11:00	Nurses and the Health and Safety at Work Act: Duties, Risks and Responsibilities Understanding health and safety duties in nursing and healthcare settings Clarifying responsibilities for nurses, managers, employers and organisations Managing workplace risks that affect staff, patients and service delivery Making sure safety concerns are raised, discussed and followed up properly Supporting nurse leaders to create safer systems of work Nicola Knobel, Head of Safety, Privacy and Risk, Plunket
11:40	Session TBC
12:20	Lunch Break
13:20	IPP3A and Health information privacy: New notification duties for health providers Understanding IPP3A and its relevance to health information privacy Knowing when notification duties may apply Managing situations where information is provided by family, whānau, guardians or other third parties Understanding practical steps for compliance in clinical and community settings Reducing privacy risk through clear processes, documentation and staff guidance Simone Tune, Special Counsel, Duncan Cotterill
14:10	Speaking up safely: Reporting concerns, managing dilemmas and protecting patients Understanding when a concern needs to be reported or escalated Knowing the difference between informal concerns, serious incidents, complaints and mandatory reporting Managing ethical dilemmas when loyalty, confidentiality and patient safety conflict Understanding who to report to and what pathways may be available Documenting concerns clearly, accurately and professionally Supporting nurses who are worried about retaliation, consequences or speaking up Wendy Blair, Competency Advisor, NZNO
14:20	Afternoon Break
15:10	HDC Decisions: Key Lessons for Nurses and health providers Understanding key themes emerging from HDC decisions Learning from cases involving communication, escalation, documentation and standards of care Recognising how small failures can contribute to larger patient safety issues Strengthening complaint response, open disclosure and reflective practice Translating HDC findings into better systems, training and governance Morag McDowell, Health & Disability Commissioner, Te Toihau Tautiaki Kaumātua
16:00	Panel Discussion: Workforce pressure, fatigue and legal accountability in Nursing Understanding workforce pressure as a legal, safety and patient care issue Exploring fatigue, burnout and workload as risks for nurses and organisations Discussing bullying, harassment and psychological safety in healthcare workplaces Clarifying responsibilities for nurse leaders, employers and teams Identifying practical ways to support safer, more sustainable nursing workforce Simone Tune, Special Counsel, Duncan Cotterill Lucy O’Hagen, General Practitioner, Ora Toa Cannons Creek, Porirua Wendy Blair, Competency Advisor, NZNO
17:00	Summary remarks from the Chair & Networking Drinks

8:50	Registration and Coffee
9:00	Welcome back remarks from the chair Kate Weston, Executive Director, College of Nurses Aotearoa
9:10	Clinical Independence and Legal Accountability in Nurse-Led Care Understanding legal accountability in advanced and autonomous nursing practice Exploring governance requirements for Nurse led services and independent clinics Managing clinical independence, documentation, prescribing and escalation Clarifying responsibilities around referrals, continuity of care and patient safety Understanding the risks and obligations involved in setting up or working within Nurse-led models Supporting the safe growth of Nurse led care across the health system Belinda Johns, Barrister, Quay Chambers
9:50	Nurses in coronial and criminal proceedings: Rights, responsibilities and practical preparation Understanding when nurses may be involved in coronial or criminal processes Knowing what to do when receiving a summons or request for information Preparing statements, records and evidence carefully and professionally Understanding rights, responsibilities and sources of support Managing stress, communication and professional risk during legal proceedings Nick Laing, Partner, Duncan Coterill
10:30	Morning break
11:00	Older People, rights and risk: Navigating complex aged Care decisions Understanding rights and protections for older people in care settings Navigating capacity, consent and family involvement in aged care decisions Managing risk while respecting autonomy, dignity and choice Recognising legal and professional responsibilities in aged care practice Strengthening documentation, communication and escalation in complex cases Erin James, Aged Care Commissioner, Te Toihau Tautiaki Kaumātua
11:40	Beyond Consent: Applying Right 7(4) in Everyday Practice What is Right 7(4) of Code of Health and Disability Services Consumer’s Rights. Informed consent and elements of consent. Treatment without consent and provision of care pursuant to Right 7(4) In clinical practice, what does it look like. Practical guides Building an educational package for hospital clinical staff Creative delivery of staff information under resources constraint Nat Woodward, Mental health clinical nurse specialist, Counties Manukau Health Sylvia Wang, Mental health nurse practitioner, Counties Manukau Health Jerson Valencia, Nurse consultant, Counties Manukau Health
12:20	Accountability and Delegation in Nursing Practice: Understanding Responsibility, Scope and Risk Understanding professional accountability when tasks are delegated Clarifying the difference between delegation, direction, supervision and responsibility Knowing what can be delegated, to whom and under what conditions Managing delegation across healthcare assistants, enrolled nurses, students and wider teams Rebecca Keenan, Barrister, Liberty Law
12:50	Lunch Break
1:50	Social Media & professional boundaries in Nursing: Privacy, reputation and regulatory risk Understanding professional expectations for nurses on social media Managing risks around patient privacy, confidentiality and identifiable information Knowing what can and cannot be shared online, including photos and workplace content Understanding how personal posts, online comments, complaints and posts can affect professional boundaries and reputation and cause regulatory consequences Exploring real-world case studies where social media use has led to privacy, conduct or professional accountability concerns Kate Rouch, Partner, Dentons
2:20	AI in Nursing documentation: Legal risk, accuracy and accountability Understanding where AI may be used in nursing documentation and clinical workflows Managing risks around accuracy, completeness and professional judgment Clarifying accountability when AI-generated content enters the clinical record Protecting patient privacy and confidentiality when using digital or AI-enabled tools Maintaining human oversight, review and correction of AI-assisted documentation Preparing nursing teams for safe, ethical and lawful use of AI in care settings Carey Campbell, Clinical Director, Amalga
2:50	Summary remarks from the Chair & end of conference
3:00	SEPARATELY BOOKABLE WORKSHOP - Privacy in Practice for Nurses See Workshop Tab for details

2026 Speakers:

Sylvia Wang

Mental health nurse practitioner

Counties Manukau Health

Read bio

Sylvia Wang is a mental health nurse practitioner with 13 years of clinical experience, including recent 3 years in advanced practice. She spent her recent years working with the acute community mental health team and is mainly based at the emergency department working alongside the emergency medicine team. Her clinical experience spans acute inpatient mental health, emergency mental health and addiction, and liaison psychiatry. She values advocating for patients and families, promoting health literacy and equity, and de-stigmatizing mental health.

Carey Campbell

Clinical Director

Amalga

Read bio

Erin James

Aged Care Commissioner

Te Toihau Tautiaki Kaumātua

Read bio

Erin was appointed as Aged Care Commissioner in April 2026. She is an experienced public sector leader with expertise in oversight, monitoring, and system improvement roles across the health, disability, and human rights sectors. Erin is passionate about the protection of people in care settings and improving the experiences of health and disability consumers and whānau. Most recently, she was the Director OPCAT at the Office of the Ombudsman, leading national oversight of the conditions and treatment of people deprived of liberty in health and disability settings, including secure aged care facilities. She is committed to improving the safety, dignity, wellbeing, and rights of older people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Belinda Johns

Barrister

Quay Chambers

Read bio

Lucy O’Hagen

General Practitioner

Ora Toa Cannons Creek, Porirua

Read bio

Kate Rouch

Partner

Dentons

Read bio

Kate is a Partner at Dentons in our Public Law and Litigation team based in Wellington. Kate is a highly experienced litigator and advocate having acted for both the public and private sectors. She blends practicality with an acute understanding of the law and a meticulous eye for detail.

Her specialist areas include complex civil litigation and in particular natural disaster damage and building litigation where she acts for government entities and construction industry professionals. She is also experienced in insurance litigation, disciplinary processes, and debt recovery. In her previous roles Kate acted for the Crown in criminal prosecutions and before that, as defence counsel to legally aided clients.

Simone Tune

Special Counsel

Duncan Cotterill

Read bio

Simone is a Special Counsel at Duncan Cotterill. She is a specialist medico-legal lawyer with 25 years of experience across health, criminal, and public law. She has prosecuted over 50 criminal jury trials for the Crown and spent the last decade as a senior in-house legal counsel at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. Her expertise includes providing advice on all manner of medico-legal issues, including issues in relation to the Privacy Act and Health Information Privacy Code; Code of Rights issues; assisting in responses to the HDC, Coroner, auditors and other regulators, applications in the High Court for guardianship orders, withdrawal of life support orders, and treatment orders under the PPPR Act and appearing at coroners’ inquest hearings. Simone also drafts policies and consent forms for health providers, provides regular training to healthcare workers and managers and represents health professionals in complaints and disciplinary proceedings.

Rebecca Keenan

Barrister

Liberty Law

Read bio

Nicola Knobel

Head of Safety, Risk and Assurance

Whānau Āwhina Plunket

Read bio

Nicola is an experienced Health, Safety, and Strategic Risk Leader with over 18 years of working across high-risk industries like oil and gas, education, and innovation. Having recently completed a Master of Laws, she’s focused on making Health and Safety law more practical and people-cantered, ensuring compliance isn’t just about ticking boxes but actually improving workplaces.She has a strong track record in identifying and managing risks before they become problems, using a mix of strategic thinking, influence, and innovation to embed safety into everyday work.

Wendy Blair

Competency Advisor

New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Read bio

Wendy Blair is a New Zealand trained Registered Nurse, who completed her PhD in 2021 through the University of Newcastle, Australia. She is a closet practice developer and as such firmly believes in the need for person centred approaches to nursing care, management and education. She believes it is critical to understand the context practice occurs within and the impact of that on safety for patients and staff. She has worked in a variety of different nursing contexts including medical/surgical, critical care, clinical and tertiary education, and as a Professional Nursing Advisor. Her current role is Competency Advisor for the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO)

Kate Weston

Executive Director

College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ)

Read bio

Kate Weston is the Executive Director of Te Whare Tohu Tapuhi o Aotearoa The College of Nurses Aotearoa. The College is a membership organisation for nurses, advocating for the profession of nursing. Kate has extensive nursing leadership experience, with a career spanning four decades, including Nursing Leadership and management, and professional nursing advisory roles. Kate has a particular interest in medico-legal and ethical issues in professional nursing practice and the health quality and safety.

Nick Laing

Partner

Duncan Cotterill

Read bio

Nick is a medico-legal expert. Nick acts for health service providers and health practitioners alike in health practitioner discipline and negligence claims (including before the Coroner, Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, Health and Disability Commissioner, Privacy Commissioner and Ombudsmen). Nick also regularly advises on medico-legal aspects including duty of care, patient consent, privacy and treatment issues, and applied aspects of intensivist treatment.

SEPARATELY BOOKABLE WORKSHOP

Privacy in Practice for Nurses:
Applying the Health Information Privacy Code in Everyday Clinical Care

This interactive workshop explores the practical application of the Health Information Privacy Code in nursing practice. Using realistic case studies and workshop exercises, participants will examine the privacy issues nurses routinely encounter when collecting, accessing, using and disclosing health information in complex clinical environments.

Hear an overview of the key principles of the Health Information Privacy Code, including the recent introduction of Rule 3A relating to the indirect collection of health information, and will focus on how nurses can make sound, lawful and defensible decisions when privacy obligations intersect with patient safety, professional responsibilities and clinical judgement.

Through practical scenarios, participants will consider issues involving family and whānau requests for information, vulnerable patients, adolescents, mental health concerns, referrals, multidisciplinary care, police requests, social media, patient portals, AI-enabled documentation, privacy breaches and complaints.

Simone Tune
Partner
Duncan Cotterill

Covering:

Understanding the role of the Health Information Privacy Code in everyday nursing practice.
Collecting health information appropriately, including obligations relating to direct and indirect collection under Rule 3A.
Accessing and using patient information for legitimate clinical purposes.
Sharing information within healthcare teams to support safe and effective care.
Responding to requests for information from third parties.
Understanding when disclosure is authorised, required or prohibited.
Managing privacy risks in AI-assisted documentation, patient portals, shared records and digital communication.
Protecting confidentiality in social media and professional practice settings.
Recognising and responding to privacy breaches and complaints.
Documenting privacy decisions clearly and defensibly.
Developing practical approaches for managing difficult privacy issues and seeking support when concerns arise.

Learning outcome:

Participants will leave with a stronger understanding of the Health Information Privacy Code and greater confidence in identifying privacy risks, applying privacy principles and making practical, defensible decisions in day-to-day nursing practice.

Supported by:

College of Nurses Aotearoa

If you’re a member of the College of College of Nurses Aotearoa,
get in touch with them to get a discount (code) for the current pricing.

Umbrella Wellbeing

Don't miss out on the connections and credibility boost!

Live B2B events are your chance to shine. Showcase your thought leadership, solidify your market position, and forge valuable connections with potential customers – all at once.

This exclusive event puts you in front of a highly skilled audience hungry for insights. Get ready for meaningful engagement that drives results.

Plus, we have some unique opportunities to put your company, products, and services in the spotlight.

Ready to take your brand to the next level? Contact us today to learn more or secure your spot at this leading event.

Tickets

$ 499 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 10 November, 2026.

$ 1100 + gst

Must be from same organisation and book at the same time. For valid tickets, payment by 10 November, 2026

$1800

$ 1400 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 25 September, 2026.

$1800

$ 1600 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 16 October, 2026.

$ 1800 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 10 November, 2026.

$1800

$ 1200 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 24 July, 2026.

Want to join this conference?

Register your interest, we will be in touch when tickets are available.

Group tickets

$ XXXX price per person + gst

Must be from same organisation and book at same time. For valid tickets, payment by X month, 202X.

$ XXXX price per person + gst

Must be from same organisation and book at same time. For valid tickets, payment by X month, 202X.

$ XXX price per person + gst

Must be from same organisation and book at same time. For valid tickets, payment by X month, 202X.

$ XXXX price per person + gst

Must be from same organisation and book at same time. For valid tickets, payment by X month, 202X.

Registration Conditions

Ticket Terms
All prices are in New Zealand dollars ($NZD)
A surcharge of 2.5% + GST applies to credit card payments on top of the total amount.
Pre-Sale Tickets are valid only for the specific event for which they were purchased and cannot be transferred to other events. To remain valid, Super Saver and Early Bird tickets must be paid by date quoted.
Group ticket options are valid for registrations from the same organisation, booked at the same time.
By selecting any special pricing offer for classes of organisation, sector, or individuals or using any promotion code, you are asserting to the organiser your right to claim any such pricing offer, and acknowledge the organiser’s right to audit such claim and, if in the opinion of the organiser using its sole discretion the conditions for special pricing are not met, reject any registration.

For full terms & conditions, please visit https://www.brightstar.co.nz/terms-and-conditions

Make an enquiry

Got questions? Write to us.

General Contact

Tagged 10 - 11 November 2026, CV263, Nursing & the law

10 - 11 November 2026 | Crowne Plaza, Auckland

Nursing and the law

Stay up-to-date on the latest legal issues in nursing practice at the Nursing and the Law Conference

Supporting organisation

Key themes not to be missed

Legal Compliance in Practice

Role of the Practice & Risk Management

Workforce wellbeing and Developments

Te Tiriti o Waitangi & Cultural Safety

KEY SPEAKERS 2026

Catherine Byrne

Nursing Council of New Zealand

Kerri Nuku

New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Kate Weston

College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ)

Why you need to attend

Venue

The location and how you can get there

2026 Agenda:

2026 Speakers:

Sylvia Wang

Carey Campbell

Erin James

Belinda Johns

Lucy O’Hagen

Kate Rouch

Simone Tune

Rebecca Keenan

Nicola Knobel

Wendy Blair

Kate Weston

Nick Laing

SEPARATELY BOOKABLE WORKSHOP

Privacy in Practice for Nurses: Applying the Health Information Privacy Code in Everyday Clinical Care

Covering:

Learning outcome:

Supported by:

Don't miss out on the connections and credibility boost!

Tickets

Workshop

Group of 3+

Individual Ticket

Individual Ticket

Individual Ticket

Individual Ticket

Want to join this conference?

Register your interest, we will be in touch when tickets are available.

Group tickets

Multi-buy 3+ TicketsEarly Bird

Multi-buy 3+ Tickets Last Minute

Multi-buy 5+ TicketsEarly Bird

Multi-buy 5+ TicketsLast Minute

Registration Conditions

Make an enquiry

General Contact

Privacy in Practice for Nurses:
Applying the Health Information Privacy Code in Everyday Clinical Care

Multi-buy 3+ Tickets
Early Bird

Multi-buy 3+ Tickets
Last Minute

Multi-buy 5+ Tickets
Early Bird

Multi-buy 5+ Tickets
Last Minute