Frances Hughes

Frances Anne Hughes is a New Zealand nursing academic and leader, and has held senior roles across several nursing organisations. In 2005 Hughes was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the mental health profession. In 2020 she was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to nursing and mental health.

Career

Hughes completed a Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences at Massey University in 1987, and a Master of Arts degree in nursing at Victoria University of Wellington in 1997, with a thesis on aggression in psychiatric wards.

Hughes was Chief Nurse for New Zealand from 1998 to 2004,

Hughes has been awarded a Harkness Fellowship and a Fulbright Scholarship.

Political candidacy In the 2023 New Zealand general election, Hughes stood as the National Party candidate for the Mana electorate, and was placed 33 on the party list. She received 12,825 votes, placing her second to Labour's Barbara Edmonds, and was listed too low on the National Party list to enter parliament.

Honours and awards In 2013, Massey University awarded Hughes a Distinguished Alumni Award.

Hughes was awarded the Risk Professional of the Year Award in 2022, for her work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was described as "one of the most influential nurse leaders in the world".

In the 2020 New Year Honours Hughes was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to nursing and mental health.

Selected works