A Tauranga woman awarded a Queen's Service Order for her contribution to nursing has been elected the first full-time paid president of the New Zealand Nurses' Organisation.
Marion Guy, current member of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board and National Health Board, found out yesterday she was the elected president of the NZNO - the same organisation she received an Award of Honour for in September 2010.
"I'm elated really," she said.
"You know you go through a long process and you are never sure who's going to vote. But I'm really excited because it's given me the opportunity to give back some of my knowledge to the sector I've been in for 30 to 40 years."
The role would normally have been announced in September but the NZNO had changed from a rulebook governance to a constitution and legal proceedings, allowing for the change pushed the announcement out until yesterday.