[…] it was reported earlier this week that more than 9000 New Zealand nurses have registered to work in Australia in the past 10 months. […]
National proposed in April 2023 to pay nurses’ and midwives’ student loan repayments up to $4500 a year for the first five years of their careers. This adds up to $22,500 and increases their take-home pay by $87 a week.
However, to access the scheme, nurses and midwives will need to enter into a bonding agreement with the Government, where they commit to working in New Zealand for at least five years after they graduate. […]
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti told AM earlier in the week that the internationally qualified nurses registering in Australia may not have been in New Zealand for long. […]
These [verification] figures sent to Newshub show in 2023 the council issued 9511 verifications of good standing to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Of these, 85 percent were for internationally qualified nurses.
“What this looks like is a large number of these [nurses] may never ever be in New Zealand, don’t ever register in New Zealand and we are being stepping-stoned into Australia – that’s what the data looks like,” Dr Reti said.
Newshub
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