By Varun Singh
In recent years, New Zealand has been grappling with a critical shortage of nurses, a situation exacerbated by an aging population and the retirement of experienced nurses. As of 2024, the country continues to face this challenge, with high-demand opportunities for overseas nurses looking to migrate. The Nursing Council of New Zealand predicts a shortfall of 15000 nurses by 2035, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
To address this crisis, the government is working on several initiatives, including increasing resources for training and retaining qualified nurses, providing better financial aid options for students, offering incentives for experienced nurses to stay employed, and expanding access to online education.
The government is also working with immigration and the union to bring more nurses into the country, with over 1200 applications for visas to work in the New Zealand health system. Additionally, the government is looking at measures to encourage more people to train as nurses and re-employing the “latent nursing workforce,” which includes former nurses who have lost their annual practicing certificates.
The Heart of the Issue
The heart of the nursing shortage issue in New Zealand stems from various factors, including:
Healthcare System Restructuring: Recent changes in the healthcare system, such as hospital closures and mergers, have resulted in fewer positions for nurses, contributing to the shortage.
Financial Barriers: Rising tuition costs and limited financial aid options have led to fewer nursing students completing their studies, reducing the number of qualified candidates entering the workforce each year.
Recruitment Challenges: Difficulty in recruiting highly qualified and experienced nurses, limited immigration options, and immigration restrictions have hindered efforts to fill nursing positions.
Patient Impact: The shortage has directly impacted patient care and safety, leading to longer wait times for appointments and procedures, delays in diagnosis or treatment, increased medical errors, and poor patient outcomes.
To address this crisis, the New Zealand government is implementing policies aimed at increasing resources for training and retaining qualified nurses, providing better financial aid options for students, offering incentives for experienced nurses to stay employed, expanding access to online education, and working on initiatives to bring more nurses into the country through immigration. These measures are crucial to alleviate the current workforce pressures and ensure quality patient care across New Zealand’s healthcare system.
Nursing Shortage in New Zealand
The New Zealand government is implementing several policies to address the nursing shortage:
Increasing clinical placement opportunities: The government has announced an increase in clinical placements for nursing students, which will allow hundreds more home-grown nurses to gain their registration to work in New Zealand.
Supporting domestic training: The government is working to support an additional 700 clinical placements nationwide for the 2024 intake, aiming to boost the growth of the future nursing workforce by an estimated 10%.
Improving working conditions: The government has increased pay for most nurses by 14% and aims to reduce attrition rates, particularly for Māori and Pacific students, who have higher rates of attrition.
Encouraging international recruitment: The government has removed barriers to migration for qualified overseas nurses and midwives, making it easier for them to choose New Zealand as their next home.
Supporting rural and interdisciplinary training: The government is growing rural and interdisciplinary training programmes to enable larger student intakes and creating 135 new training places a year for allied and scientific professionals.
Reducing reliance on the global market: The government aims to reduce its reliance on international recruitment by growing its rural health teams and building a workforce representative of communities across New Zealand.
These initiatives are part of a broader plan to relieve current workforce pressures and meet the challenges of the future, as outlined in the Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora Health Workforce Plan 2023/24.
The Role of Immigration Consultants
Immigration consultants play a significant role in addressing the nursing shortage issue in New Zealand by facilitating the migration of internationally qualified nurses to fill vacancies in the healthcare sector. These consultants assist nurses in navigating the complex immigration process, securing work visas, and meeting health and character requirements.
The influx of internationally trained nurses, particularly from countries like India and the Philippines, has been crucial in filling the gaps in New Zealand’s nursing workforce. Immigration consultants help streamline the visa application process, guide settling into the local culture and healthcare system, and offer support to ensure a smooth transition for nurses relocating to New Zealand.
Moreover, initiatives like the “Green List” include nurses as part of Immigration New Zealand’s fast-tracked residency pathways. It has aimed to attract more international healthcare workers to address the workforce shortages in New Zealand. The role of immigration consultants is pivotal in facilitating this process and ensuring that qualified nurses can efficiently join the New Zealand healthcare workforce to alleviate the nursing shortage.
Conclusion
As New Zealand navigates through its healthcare challenges, the combined efforts of government initiatives and international recruitment are crucial in addressing the nursing shortage. With the predicted shortage of 15000 nurses by 2035, these efforts must continue to evolve and adapt to ensure a robust and resilient healthcare system for the future.
(Author is MD, XIPHIAS Immigration)
