NZ Healthcare Education
Where Expertise Meets Excellence!
Thank You for Visiting Our Page!
Whether you are a Registered Nurse or Internationally Qualified Nurse (IQN) looking to grow your knowledge, strengthen your practice and build confidence, or a Care Home Manager seeking high-quality education for your team, you are in the right place!
Our team brings extensive experience across acute hospital settings, primary healthcare and aged care. Over the past three decades, one thing has remained constant: our passion for nursing education, professional development and improving the quality of care.
Our expertise includes:
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Training and mentoring healthcare professionals
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Conducting competency assessments
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Supporting nurses through RN professional development programmes and preceptor workshops
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Guiding internationally qualified nurses through OSCE preparation
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Developing practical, evidence-informed education for aged care teams
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Supporting Registered Nurses, and Care Partners to strengthen their knowledge, skills and confidence
Improving the Quality of Aged Care
A key focus of NZ Healthcare Education is improving the quality and safety of care provided to older people in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Excellent aged care depends on a skilled, knowledgeable and confident workforce. Our programmes recognise the important role every member of the care team plays in a resident's wellbeing.
By providing practical education that can be applied directly in the workplace, we aim to strengthen clinical practice, promote person-centred care and support better outcomes for residents.
With extensive experience in both clinical practice and education, we have developed structured, engaging and practical learning programmes that go beyond the basics.
Our courses focus on essential knowledge, clinical skills, critical thinking, communication, leadership and culturally safe practice.
We are passionate about sharing our knowledge, supporting healthcare professionals throughout their careers and contributing to a stronger, safer and more capable healthcare workforce.
Our Mission
NZ Healthcare Education empowers nurses through high‑quality learning that builds the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to meet industry standards. We create culturally safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environments where every nurse is supported, diversity is embraced, and a passion for lifelong learning is nurtured.
Our Values
CULTURALLY SAFE
As a healthcare education provider in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are committed to delivering learning experiences that uphold cultural safety, equity, and respect for all learners. We recognise the diverse cultural identities of our participants and actively foster environments where everyone feels valued, heard, and supported.
WHANAU-CENTRED
We adopt a whānau-centred approach that acknowledges the essential of whānau in learning and healthcare outcomes. Our environments support learners in incorporating whānau perspectives and values into their education. We also encourage them to whānau-centred practices in healthcare, recognising the importance of collective decision-making and wellbeing in diverse communities.
LEADERSHIP
We encourage reflective, collaborative, and values‑based leadership, empowering learners to navigate complexity, challenge inequities, and inspire positive change within diverse healthcare settings. We strive to cultivate leaders who foster safe, inclusive environments, uplift others, and contribute to improved health outcomes for all communities.
The Team
Executive Director
Minna Vuorinen (RN, MPhil Health, PG Cert Ed.)
With extensive experience in nursing, clinical management, and clinical education, Minna brings broad expertise across healthcare, specialising in aged care. She has served on an expert panel for the Nursing Council of New Zealand and has experience in Competency Assessment Programmes (CAP) and OSCE preparation. She has also led quality improvement initiatives, receiving the NZACA Innovative Delivery and Supreme Excellence Awards, and has contributed to nursing research through publications in international nursing journals.
National Head of Education and Training
Maria Balmores (RN, MAEd, PG Cert Health Science)
Maria brings extensive experience in acute and renal nursing, with a strong background in clinical education, professional development, and CAP and OSCE preparation. Most recently she held the Clinical Quality Advisor role, supporting care homes with clinical quality improvement, education, and practice initiatives. She also has experience in philanthropy and developing NGO initiatives, reflecting her commitment to improving health, education, and education outcomes.