An overseas recruitment campaign targeting specialist nurses will go live this week, but critics say two years into the pandemic, and with Omicron on the doorstep - it's far too late.
Last November Health Minister Andrew Little spoke about a recruiting from offshore when asked by RNZ about the acute shortage of ICU nurses - but it's only now getting off the ground.
Hold-ups at the border may be contributing to the shortage and today the Prime Minister will detail what a phased reopening will now look like.
Hundreds of places in MIQ have already been put aside for critical healthcare workers since late last year, but many of them have been left empty.
Here's RNZ political editor Jane Patterson.
