There will be 830 more nurses training each year in New Zealand, says health minister Ayesha Verrall.
This will address pressures felt by frontline health workers, including nurses, she said.
“This government acknowledges there are shortages in our nursing workforce."
Verrall said next semester’s intake will increase by 130 nursing students nationwide. They otherwise would have been deferred to a waiting list for next year. Te Whatu Ora will work with education providers next year to support 700 clinical placements.
She said this is a "significant increase" in the number of nurses being trained in NZ, “boosting the growth of our future nursing workforce by an estimated 10%”.
“An increase in 830 clinical placement opportunities means hundreds more home-grown nurses can gain their registration to work in NZ.”
She said boosting the workforce with more nurses in our communities means more care for everyone.
“Since the end of 2021, we have recruited 1000 more nurses and increased pay for most nurses by 14%."
More than 8,000 nurses registered in the 2022/23 registration year. This was a 60% increase from about 5,000 nurses who registered for the first time in the previous year, she said.
