Aotearoa New Zealand needs five times more Māori nurses if the workforce is to reflect the Māori population and be able to provide culturally safe health care, a new report shows.
The report “Growing, but not fast enough: Māori nursing workforce insights” was written by economic consultancy company Infometrics and released at the Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference in Rotorua tomorrow – Thursday – when about 300 Māori nurses from throughout the country gather.
Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says the report shows Aotearoa New Zealand needs about 1,350 more Māori nurses a year for the next decade to achieve population parity.
“That would mean increasing the number of Māori nurses entering the workforce from the current 300 a year to almost 1,650 – a five-fold increase.
“This is an intense number and shows the intense need we have to ensure Māori get the culturally safe and appropriate nursing they need. Research shows culturally safe nursing is key to achieving better outcomes for Māori.
“Health leaders, Māori leaders, academics, economists and the media have been asking what an effective Māori nursing workforce would look like. Now, thanks to this report, we know,” she says.
“What better place to highlight this need, the economics of Māori nursing, at the country’s largest gathering of Māori nurses.
“I’m so concerned about the future of Māori health – this country’s health. These numbers are so intense and would appear like mission impossible under this Government. But it is our duty to call for what is best for the health of our people,” Kerri Nuku says.
Currently Māori make up 18% of the New Zealand population but only 7.4 per cent of the nursing workforce and Māori are dying seven years lower than non-Māori, the report found.
About 27,000 Māori enrolments in nursing training were needed as less than two-thirds of Māori nurse trainees complete their qualification, it found. In 2023, a total of 3,230 students enrolled in registered nurse training but only 435 of them were Māori.
“The report also confirms for us what we’ve always known – Māori nurses are more likely to help keep Māori out of hospital by identifying the risk of preventable illnesses, enabling early intervention and saving the health system money,” Kerri Nuku says.
The report also suggests numbers needed for a 20-to-30-year timeframe and workforce policy commitment.
This year's annual conference theme is Mauri oro, mauri reo, mauri ora which speaks to a return to vibration, voice and wellbeing through the lens of mātauranga Māori. The prestigious Akenehi Hei award will be presented on Friday morning while the Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards – the Māori nurse awards – will be presented that evening.