The Nursing Council’s latest cohort report follows the journeys of nurses who joined the New Zealand register in 2012-13. It provides a decade-long view of nurse retention, employment, and demographic trends. Although the report shows a gradual reduction of nurses over the ten years, there was a slight increase in 2021 coinciding with nurses returning to practice during the pandemic.
Key findings show that New Zealand-qualified registered nurses (RNs) have the highest retention rates, with 71% still practising in New Zealand after ten years. Although there are different retention patterns for New Zealand-qualified Māori and Pacific RNs, practising rates are the same as non-Māori and non-Pacific RNs at the end of the ten-year period.
In contrast, only 54% of internationally qualified nurses (IQNs) and 37% of New Zealand-qualified enrolled nurses (ENs) remained practising in New Zealand after ten years, although 11% of ENs completed further education leading to registration as an RN.
The report highlights the critical role of Māori and Pacific nurses in meeting regional and community health needs, and the value of investing in nursing education in New Zealand.
Read the full report
Please visit our Workforce Statistics page for further data on the nursing workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand.