Welcome Winter!
15 May 2026
Winter is on the way, and with it usually comes the usual run of coughs, colds, and other bugs. Most practices will already have their usual measures in place but now is a good time to reinforce the basics and lead by example, particularly when it comes to staying home if you’re unwell. It is also a good time to check that expectations around leave, sick leave and wellbeing are clear heading into winter.
You may wish to advise staff of their leave balances, particularly if they are low on entitlements. This way you can help them plan if the unexpected happens. Consider options available within the practice to cover absences, and other practical solutions such as employing casual staff to fill in, if needed. A few reminders and pre-planning can go a long way toward keeping teams well and services running as smoothly as possible over the colder months.
May is also the month we aim to share the results of our annual GP Remuneration Survey. This year, we’ve also published the second edition of our Nurse Practitioner Remuneration Survey alongside it. They can be a useful reference point for practices reviewing pay settings or thinking ahead about recruitment and retention. One interesting statistic from the survey is the reduction in practices engaging staff on a contract for services basis, at 38% (down from 59.6% in the 2025 survey). If you would like to see the full report on how GP and Nurse Practitioner remuneration is tracking across practices around Aotearoa New Zealand, you will be able to view the reports once they are published here.
Alongside our remuneration surveys, we’ve also been planning opportunities to spend more time connecting with our subscribers in person, and we are keen to keep building on this throughout the year. We’ll be at the General Practice Conference & Medical Exhibition in Rotorua, and the Vet Association Conference in Auckland next month, where we look forward to catching up with many of our subscribers. If you’re attending, keep an eye out for Bonnie, Nicole, or Mychaela at the MAS stand, who will be there to talk through any HR or practice management questions you may have.
Before we sign off, we thought we’d publish a ‘Question of the Month’ for you to mull over (and respond to if you like), to be answered in next month’s newsletter. Let us know your thoughts:
Q: ‘If an employee is off sick during their 90-day trial period, can the trial period be extended?’
We look forward to hearing from you and staying connected with practices over the busy winter period. If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover in a future newsletter, we’d love to hear from you!
The HealthyPractice team
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Christmas Closedown Periods
Now is a good time to start planning for the end of year festive season. If your practice normally closes each year, this is considered an annual closedown under the Holidays Act. Your employment agreements should include a clause outlining your obligations, including: - The required notice period for closedown - How annual leave entitlements are applied - What happens if an employee has insufficient or no annual leave available
13 August 2026
21 years of HealthyPractice!
A lot has changed since the early days and HealthyPractice has transformed along the way to keep supporting practices in ways that are useful, practical and easy to work with. What has not changed is the heart of the service. It is still going strong. Most importantly, we would like to thank our Subscribers. Your support, feedback and trust over the past 21 years have helped shape HealthyPractice into what it is today, and we are so grateful to have been part of your journey while you have been part of ours.
16 July 2026
June on the road - Connecting with practices across New Zealand
Kia ora, We hope you are faring well, six months into 2026! At our end it’s been a busy month for the HealthyPractice team - here’s a quick snapshot of what we’ve been up to. It was great to connect face-to-face with practice owners, managers, clinicians and support teams at both the New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe Conference (NZVA) and the NZGPCME Primary Care Conference, both held in June. The MAS and HealthyPractice stand was a real hub of activity, helped along by a very popular coffee cart.
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