Five Times More Māori Nurses Needed To Reflect Population

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.

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