Barbara Gay Williams
- Jocelyn Peach
- Apr 20
- 6 min read
Nurse Educator, Past CEO New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Justice of the Peace, 3rd Vice President ICN, and Consultant to other organisations
Registered General Nurse, Registered Maternity Nurse, Diploma Community Health, Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma in Social Sciences, PhD Nursing Victoria University of Wellington.
Barbara Gay HAGEN always wanted to be either a nurse or a teacher. She left school with University Entrance and joined the Auckland Hospital Board nursing programme, joining a ‘Cadet nursing’ programme planned to keep prospective students in the system if they were not quite of the right age. She completed the three-year registered general nurse programme, graduating as a silver medallist from the Auckland School of Nursing in 1958.
She worked briefly as a registered nurse at Greenlane Hospital and then transferred to Timaru to complete her six-month maternity nursing programme. She was invited back to Auckland as a teacher with the Auckland School of Nursing from 1960 to 1966 in the three-year programme. She taught across the three-year programme classes, including 18 months as a Clinical Tutor. Gay then left to have a family. She describes the Principal Tutor of this time, Marie Hosking as a good mentor and role model. In 1965, Gay was awarded a scholarship travelling to the United States of America, Canada, England, Scotland, Japan and Hong Kong where she discussed nursing education, central sterile supply and future of nursing with the Nurses Organisations in those countries.
Gay married in 1961 and continued working with the School of Nursing until she was seven months pregnant with her first child David. She continued to teach part-time with her children in Day Care when she had a daughter Susan and when the children started school.
From 1969 to 1971 she worked part-time as Tutor teaching anatomy and physiology and orthopaedics for the New Zealand School of Occupational Therapy. From 1971 to 1974 she worked in several roles: as a Liaison Coordinator for part-time staff at Cornwall Hospital, teaching anatomy and physiology in a school for beautician- aestheticians, and as a Nurse Educator in the 3-year psychiatric nursing programme at the Carrington School of Nursing. She returned to the Auckland Hospital Board School of Nursing from January 1974 to February 1976 as a tutor in the 3-year diploma programme and the one-year bridging programme for mental health and psychopaedic nursing graduates.
In 1976 she was appointed as Deputy Charge Tutor Central School, and Charge Tutor in the 3-year Diploma programme Central School from November 1977 to June 1981. Gay then accepted the position of Deputy Principal Tutor Auckland School of Nursing until December 1981. This position did not suit her style of leadership, so she resigned at the end of the year.
She applied for a position at the new School of Nursing at the Auckland Institute of Technology and in 1982 to 1983 she was appointed as a Nurse Educator promoted in 1983 to 1985 as a Course Supervisor for the Graduate Diploma programme. From 1985 to 1987 she worked as a Senior Lecturer at Auckland Technical Institute School of Nursing that included and the Advanced Diploma of Nursing.
Throughout this time Gay was active in a range community groups and professional activities. She was involved in New Zealand Nurses Association roles and activities. In 1960s she was vice president/ president of the Auckland branch of New Zealand Nurses Association [NZNA], chair of regional and national Nurse Educators section and a member of the research section. From 1980 to 1986 she was appointed to the national Nursing Education and Review committee (NERAC) as a NZNA representative, her first national ministerial appointment. In 1983-1984 she was a member of ad hoc group to prepare review post basic nursing education in New Zealand. In 1985 she was member ad hoc group to prepare Standards of Nursing Education for New Zealand Nurses Association.
In July 1987 Gay was recruited as the Executive National Director of the New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNA) which was a busy and high demand period over the next seven years. Her earlier involvement had prepared her for the significant demands of work on local, national and international issues. She led negotiations on pay and working conditions for nurses at the time of the ‘Nurses are Worth More’ campaign.
In 1987 she was a member of a two-day workshop deciding on the future of NZNA which set the agenda for change to the newly named New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) During this time, she was a ministerial appointment to the Trade Union Education Authority (TUEA) from 1987 to 1991, voted as the only woman as Executive Council of Trade unions from 1987 to 1993. From 1987 to 1992 she was part of the National Action group Nursing review (NAG) as a Director General Health appointment. From 1987 to 1994 Gay was secretary to Nursing Education Research Foundation [NERF].
From 1991 to 1994 she was a member of the New Zealand Qualifications authority as a Ministerial appointment. In 1994 she was a member of the Open Polytechnic Council as a ministerial appointment. She continued in Executive National Director of the New Zealand Nurses Association leadership role for seven years until September 1994.
Over her working life Gay was also involved in a range of community activities: Plunket; Women’s groups including research on women and the women’s electoral lobby. She was active in the National Council of Women, Public Health Association, Community Health Coalition, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Cancer Call and on School Boards.
In 1973, Gay began years of post-graduate education. In 1976 she completed a Diploma in Community Health. In 1978 she completed a BA in Nursing through Massey and Auckland Universities. In 1985 she completed a post-graduate diploma in Social Sciences (Nursing Studies Massey University). In1995 Gay was enrolled as a full-time student in a Master of Arts degree by thesis at Victoria University of Wellington, having received a NERF research grant. She transferred to the Doctoral programme in 1996, as a part-time student from 1996 to 2000 while working as a consultant, marking scripts and as a contractor with IAS – coordinating leadership programmes. Her doctoral thesis was titled ‘The Primacy of the Nurse in New Zealand 1960s-1990s: Attitudes, Beliefs and Responses over Time’. In 2000 she graduated Doctor of Philosophy (major Nursing Studies).
From 2002 she was appointed as Adjunct Professor School of Nursing UNITEC.
She has undertaken projects with the International Council of Nursing (ICN) in Geneva and other international groups. She was a member of the ICN Socioeconomic advisory group, from 1988 to 1992, elected third Vice President of ICN for two four-year terms from 1993, and a delegate representing NZ while she was CEO.
Gay has also represented NZ as the worker representative to the International Labour Organisation in Geneva in 1989 and 1990
She continues to be actively engaged in community and educational activities and taken leadership roles with local U3A (University of the Third Age) and family history (NZSG).
Dr Gay Williams has received several professional acknowledgements and awards:
1990 New Zealand Commemorative medal;
1991 Companion of the Queens Service Order for public services [QSO];
1992 NZNA Award of Honour;
1993 New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal;
2002 Queens Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours Companion of the NZ Order of Merit CNZM for services to nursing.
Over her career Dr Barbara Gay Williams has made considerable contribution as a nurse and interdisciplinary educator, national leader of New Zealand Nurses Association, contributor on national and international consultancies and ministerial appointments, and to many community groups. She has presented many papers at conferences nationally and internationally. She has presented many papers to intersectoral conferences and as an after-dinner speaker.
Links
Williams, Barbara (2000). The Primacy of the Nurse in New Zealand 1960s-1990s: Attitudes, Beliefs and Responses over Time (Doctoral thesis). Open Access Repository Victoria University of Wellington, Victoria University of Wellington. doi:10.26686/wgtn.16920781.
"New Zealand's Women in Power: Where are they now?". Stuff. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
"No. 52383". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 31 December 1990. p. 30.
"The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 – Register of recipients". The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 – Register of recipients. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
"Queen honours artists, mathematicians, sports people and literary lights". NZ Herald. 3 June 2002. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 27 April 2020.^ "Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee honours list 2002". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 2002. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
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