National Chief Nurse Nadine Gray says those who do not get hospital jobs are placed in the talent pool. Photo: 123RF
Nursing students and recent graduates say they are being "failed" by Health NZ, which has employed just 45 percent of mid-year graduates.
Health NZ figures show just 323 of 722 applicants have got jobs in hospitals through its Advanced Choice of Employment Mid-Year matching process.
Co-president of the Nurses Organisation student unit, Bianca Grimmer - who is set to graduate at the end of the year - said it was "really discouraging".
"It's certainly affecting all of our cohorts from year one to year three, lot of uncertainty and students wondering if they continue with their degree or look at finding a job somewhere else.
"Te Whatu Ora used to hire 80-90 percent of all graduates. We were blindsided this time last year when only three in every five mid-year graduates were hired. This year is even worse."
Health NZ said for the mid-year matching process, there were 173 applications from graduates who were still looking for jobs after graduating at the end of last year.
National Chief Nurse Nadine Gray said those who did not get hospital jobs were placed in the talent pool, which was open to all registered employers across the health sector.
In recent years, the majority of initially unmatched applicants had successfully secured positions from the talent pool with about 84 percent of nurses eventually finding roles in both 2023 and 2024.
"Graduate RNs [registered nurses] often look to hospitals for their first role, and while we are working to employ as many graduate RNs as possible, I want to encourage students to look right across the health system when looking for their first job."
The government was investing in expanding and strengthening the nursing workforce in primary and community care, Gray said.
The investment includes:
- $30 million over five years to fund 400 graduate nurses into primary and community care each year, with providers receiving $15,000 for employing a nurse in an urban setting and $20,000 in a rural setting.
- $34.2 million over five years to fund 120 nurse practitioner training places in primary care each year from 2026.
- An additional $21.6 million over four years to accelerate advanced tertiary education for up to 120 primary care registered nurses annually.
The Nurses Organisation said a recent survey of 1246 nursing students found 62 percent would consider seeking a nursing job overseas if they were unable to get a new graduate job in Aotearoa New Zealand. This increased to 73 percent for Māori students.
Bianca Grimmer said nursing students recently attended a jobs expo where Australian recruiters were offering graduates better wages and conditions.
"We have a health system in crisis and desperately need more homegrown nurses. With 30,000 Kiwis leaving for Australia in the past year, this short-sighted decision by Te Whatu Ora will see more graduate nurses packing their bags."
About 36,000 of NZNO's Te Whatu Ora members are preparing for a 24-hour national strike on 30 July after Collective Agreement negotiations stalled.
The union said Health NZ's "refusal to commit to its obligation to employ new graduates" was one of the sticking points.
A Health NZ spokesperson said under the Nursing Accord, Health NZ is not obliged to employ every graduate RN "but is required to do what it can to support them into employment".
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