Working as a nurse in New Zealand has many perks both personally and financially. Becoming a nurse is a highly rewarding career with amazing job satisfaction levels. Nurses in New Zealand are paid very well along with many other fringe benefits. There is no reason for anyone to opt-out from working as a nurse in New Zealand.

If you are a nurse looking to pick a specialty to focus on in New Zealand, Medfuture is here to help.  look at  what in means to be working as a nurse in New Zealand and what can nurses specialize in our latest weekly read!

What nursing jobs are available in New Zealand?

Nurses work in a wide range of settings, including primary care, aged care, intensive care, child and adolescent nursing, and mental health and addiction. Some of the other career pathways include nursing practice, health research and education, and health management. There are many job opportunities for nurses across all regions in New Zealand.

Working as a nurse in New Zealand

Working as a nurse in New Zealand is highly rewarding with a very high pay scale. There are different types of nursing jobs available across different areas in New Zealand. The following are the main types of nursing job opportunities in New Zealand.

Enrolled Nurse

Registered Nurse

Nurse Practitioner

Enrolled Nurse

An Enrolled Nurse (EN) provides emotional and physical care to patients. ENs also monitor patient care activities, maintain infection prevention and control, administer patient medication, conduct clinical assessments, and provide care planning. ENs usually work under the supervision of registered nurses.

ENs work in a wide range of work settings, which include medical, surgical, pediatrics, mental health, rehabilitation, orthopedics, operating rooms, oncology, emergency, ambulatory care, remote and rural, and community health care.

Graduate ENs can apply to different healthcare services for transition programs. These programs are for graduate nurses and include structured assistance and facilitated skills development. ENs have access to a range of knowledge and development activities and opportunities through their work environments.

Registered Nurse

Registered Nurses (RNs) also work in a wide variety of work settings that help them expand their knowledge and skills depending on their particular expertise. RNs may work as nurse practitioners, nursing managers, researchers, and educators.

If you want to become an RN in New Zealand, you must first complete a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, after which you are required to sit a competency check exam. Student nurses are required to work in various healthcare facilities under the supervision of an already qualified RN before being allowed to work on their own.

Those who have registration in another country other than New Zealand or Australia and are able to meet the registration standards of the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ), can then apply to practice. Nurses with overseas qualifications that meet the NCNZ standards may apply for registration to practice in New Zealand.

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners are highly skilled health practitioners who have advanced knowledge and clinical training while being able to demonstrate competency in their work.  They are considered a level higher than registered nurses. Nurse practitioners require advanced knowledge and skills as they need to combine these with their job role to apply therapeutic knowledge and diagnostic reasoning. These types of nurses are skilled and experienced in care even for people with complex medical conditions.

Nurse practitioners are sometimes seen working in primary care and may serve as the primary healthcare provider for certain families, similar to the role of general practitioners. Some of them run their own healthcare service while others may work for district health boards or even non-profit organizations.

Nursing statistics

The number of registered nurses in New Zealand has seen a dramatic increase over the last decade. The government expects this number to rise further in the coming years. In 2013, the nation had 52,729 nurses while this number is expected to reach close to 60,000 in 2024. This is excellent news for those who are hoping to start a career in nursing, New Zealand is the place for you.

Other nursing roles

Here are some of the roles that are derived from the above primary nursing roles.

Clinical Nurse Specialist

A clinical nurse specialist gives high levels of judgment, especially when it is required to make high-level decisions in particular areas of clinical healthcare. They are more specialized and experienced than RNs and are able to monitor and enhance the standards of healthcare.

Clinical Nurse Educator

Clinical nurse educators are also called patient nurse educators. Their role involves improving the knowledge and skill levels of nurses or patients and assisting them with specialty clinical healthcare settings. Clinical nurse educators are required to have previous experience in this field before working in an academic or healthcare work setting.

Nursing Management Roles

Nursing management roles provide management in different areas within the nursing environment. These areas include writing rosters, guiding junior nurses, providing specialist medical care, liaising with medical and healthcare specialists, ordering equipment, developing strategies, planning and logistics, and professional development. These roles are generally referred to as Charge Nurses in hospitals and other healthcare settings

International Nurses

International nurses can work in any type of nursing job role such as a nurse researcher, nurse educator, or nurse practitioner. This is as long as they are registered as a nurse in New Zealand based on the standards of the NCNZ.

Here are some important details in relation to international nurses who wish to work in New Zealand.

Registration requirements

Registered nurses who have obtained overseas qualifications must apply to the NCNZ prior to practicing as registered nurses in New Zealand. RNs with current nursing registration in Australia can -apply under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act (TTMRA).

The NCNZ sets the standards and monitors activities in relation to nursing practice in New Zealand. International nursing graduates can find more information about registration and competence requirements for nursing practice in New Zealand by visiting the NCNZ website.

Assessment of international nurses

International nurses applying to register with the NCNZ must fulfill the following:

Have a current registration with a foreign regulatory authority

Completed a nursing qualification program which is equivalent to a 3-year Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and at level 7 on the NQF (New Zealand Qualifications Framework)

Completed 2 years post-registration nursing practice of a minimum of 2500 hours, 5 years prior to the application date.

Completed a competence assessment program as directed by the NCNZ.

Australian applicants can apply to register with the NCNZ under TTMRA.

Immigration requirements

International nursing graduates who are looking forward to practicing in New Zealand may apply to the New Zealand Immigration Service for the purpose of obtaining a work visa. A work visa demonstrates your permissibility to travel and work in the country.

The following individuals do not require a work visa to work in New Zealand.

New Zealand citizens, New Zealand resident visa holders, or permit holders

Australian citizens or residents who hold a current Australian resident return visa

Those who are exempt from having a visa to stay in New Zealand.

Those who are in New Zealand but their work is not defined as employment according to the New Zealand Immigration Service.

What is a career in nursing like?

Nurses are the strength of the healthcare system. While doctors might diagnose and recommend treatments to patients, it is a nurse who investigates the care of patients and ensure that they are given the appropriate treatment at the correct time, on their road to recovery. Therefore, a nurse’s role within the healthcare system is as crucial as that of a doctor. They work day and night to ensure patients are cared for while in their healthcare facility. It’s a highly rewarding career with utmost job satisfaction, even more so than that of a doctor.

Nursing outlook and trends

The nursing workforce in New Zealand is constantly growing in number as half of the nurses on duty at this time are expected to retire in the next 25 years. An additional 2,686 nursing graduates are expected to be required by 2035, according to the

An additional 2,686 graduate nurses are expected to be required by 2035, according to The Future Nursing Workforce: Supply Projections 2010-2035 of the NCNZ. More M?ori and Pacific nurses are required now and are expected to rise in numbers in the coming years. The nursing workforce is made up of only 7% M?ori and 3% Pacific nurses compared to the total wider population, which is 15% and 7% respectively.

Work settings and salary

The three main areas of practice for registered nurses are as follows:

Acute care nursing

Primary healthcare nursing

Mental health nursing

Here is the salary scale of nurses in New Zealand (per annum).

Recently graduated nurses: 52,460 NZD – 54,034 NZD

Nurses with 5 years of experience: 70,820 NZD – 72,945 NZD

Senior nurses with over 5 years of experience – 72,944 NZD – 77,386 NZD

Visit the Medfuture job board to view a list of the latest nursing jobs in New Zealand and Australia.