A survey of student nurses has found nearly 62 percent are considering looking for a job overseas when they graduate if they can't find one in New Zealand. Photo:
A survey of student nurses has found almost 62 percent are considering a job overseas if one isn't available in New Zealand when they graduate.
The survey of 1246 student nurses was undertaken by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO).
NZNO said it comes as Health New Zealand refuses to address the union's claims around obligations to employ new graduates in collective agreement negotiations.
Union National Student Unit (NSU) co-chairperson Bianca Grimmer said the 2025 student survey results were "crystal clear".
"Hire us or we will leave," she said.
"The survey shows 61.86 percent of students were considering seeking a nursing job overseas if they were unable to get a new graduate job in Aotearoa New Zealand.
"This increased to 73 percent of Māori respondents. This is a significant potential loss of our domestic nursing workforce."
Grimmer said last year only 50 percent of nurse graduates applying for a hospital job got one.
"It's still looking very uncertain for this year as to how many jobs there are but students are constantly getting information from Australia and other countries as well, saying that they're happy to take students over there."
She said hospital jobs were sought after because they exposed young nurses to specialist experience and often paid better.
Grimmer, a third year nursing student, said 80 percent of those surveyed indicated they were stressed by finances during study.
This was because a nursing degree cost upwards of $30,000 in tuition fees, which did not include uniforms, parking and petrol to get to placements - where nurses can train for up to six weeks at a time in a hospital or clinic during their training.
Student nurses were not paid during the placements, which involved working up to 40 hours per week including shift work, and Grimmer said that made it difficult to keep a part-time job, which made studying financially fraught as well as contributing to burnout in some students who were supporting a family.
"An increased fear of not getting work is exacerbated by most students' money concerns issues, many of whom depend on funding from student loans for their survival.
"Paying all students the minimum or living wage while on clinical placements would make a massive difference to graduate numbers. Nursing students need assistance while they study."
Health New Zealand national chief nurse Nadine Gray said nursing turnover in hospitals had markedly decreased - from 14 percent in December 2022 to 8.6 percent in December last year.
She said more than 60 percent of nurses worked outside the hospital system and graduate nurses were encouraged to consider jobs right across the health system, including in primary, community and aged care.
"Earlier this year the government announced a major investment into primary care including several initiatives to build nursing career pathways in primary and community care."
More than $30 million over five years was being allocated to increase the number of graduate nurses working in primary care, including general practice and aged care, by 400 a year, Gray said.
Providers would receive $20,000 to employ a graduate nurse in rural areas, and $15,000 in urban settings to boost resourcing in general practices.
"We're also working hard to make part-time roles available for graduate RNs (registered nurses), as we know everyone's life circumstances are different."
She said Health NZ remained committed to employing and retaining graduate RNs.
Minister of Health Simeon Brown said the government's plan to grow frontline health workers was demonstrated in the employment of an extra 2100 nurses since 2023.
He said the average salary of a registered nurse (including senior nurses) was $125,660, including overtime and allowances - with comparable base salaries to nurses in New South Wales.
"Since 2011, the top salary step of a registered nurse covered by the NZNO collective agreement has increased by 73.95 percent, compared with a 35.53 percent increase across the broader labour market."
The government backed nurses with recruitment incentives, training positions, and accelerated tertiary education in primary and community care and Budget 2025 included several initiatives to create more opportunities for nursing graduates to begin their careers in primary care, Brown said.
This included doubling the number of nurse practitioner training places each year to 120 by 2026 and investing in fast-track advanced tertiary education for up to 120 primary care nurses each year to become nurse prescribers.
"I encourage the NZNO to put this improved offer to its members, noting that the Employment Relations Authority has already recommended NZNO accept the offer that was presented to them in May."
Additional reporting RNZ staff.
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