Linzi Birmingham Head of Nursing
For more than three decades, nursing has been both a profession and a calling for Head of Nursing Linzi Birmingham. Now teaching at NMIT, Linzi brings her extensive experience into the classroom, helping grow the next generation of nurses.
Alongside a deep commitment to family and animal welfare, Linzi has always been passionate about inspiring and developing others, which ultimately led her to NMIT.
“As a nurse I’ve always been a mentor and a teacher to others, so moving into nursing education was a natural progression for me,” Linzi says. “I’m passionate about about growing our nursing workforce.”
With 33 years of nursing experience, Linzi’s clinical background spans immunology, Emergency Nursing, and advanced life support. She originally trained in the UK, where she completed postgraduate study focusing on Accident & Emergency Nursing and Nurse Practioner training.
Her career has taken her across the UK, New Zealand, and Australia.
"In 2005 I emigrated to Australia to take up a Nurse Manager position in a rural emergency department. In this time, I completed my Master's in Advanced Nursing Practice at Melbourne University. I worked as a senior instructor for a training company, where I taught advanced life support and trauma across Australia.
"In 2011 I came back to NZ with all my rescued animals. I worked in Auckland, initially as the clinical nurse manager at Waitemata ED, then to the Waikato to take on the Nurse Manager role for ED.”
Linzi is currently preparing to begin her PhD, focusing on building a sustainable and effective rural health workforce, an area she knows well from managing rural services in Golden Bay and Australia. She hopes her research will support meaningful improvements in how rural communities receive care.
In the classroom, Linzi has a relaxed and approachable style, using humour to help learners feel at ease. She aims to create a welcoming, practical environment where students feel confident asking questions and learning from real-world experience.
“Sharing knowledge is a gift,” she says. “Watching others develop is a pleasure.”
Linzi believes NMIT offers something special for local and international learners alike: a chance to study close to home or experience the diversity and natural beauty of Nelson, Tasman, and Marlborough.
With a new nursing curriculum being introduced in partnership with Otago Polytechnic and SIT, Linzi says it’s an exciting time to study nursing.
“The team is growing, and we have an amazing, talented group. I am so eager for nursing students to benefit from them.”
