Te Whatu Ora has again failed nursing graduates – and Aotearoa New Zealand’s future nursing workforce – by employing just 45% of the 2025 mid-year cohort, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says.

The mid-year graduation cohort sat their state final exams last week. Figures released by Te Whatu Ora to nursing magazine Kaitiaki on its job-matching programme ACE show just 323 of 722 applicants were matched to supported-entry roles in hospitals.

NZNO National Student Unit President Bianca Grimmer says it is a “huge blow” to nursing graduates.

“Hospital jobs are highly sought after and often the reason students want to get into nursing.

“Te Whatu Ora used to hire 80-90% of all graduates. We were blindsided this time last year when only three in every five mid-year graduates were hired.

“This year is even worse and will make some students reassess whether they continue with their studies,” Bianca Grimmer says.

A recent survey of 1246 nursing students found 62% would consider seeking a nursing job overseas if they were unable to get a new graduate job in Aotearoa New Zealand. This increased to 73% for Māori students.

About 36,000 of NZNO’s Te Whatu Ora members are preparing for a 24-hour national strike next Wednesday 30 July after Collective Agreement negotiations stalled with a refusal by Health NZ to commit to its obligation to employ new graduates one of the sticking points.

Bianca Grimmer says nursing students recently attended a jobs expo where an Australian stand was luring graduates with better wages and conditions.

"We have a health system in crisis and desperately need more homegrown nurses. With 30,000 Kiwis leaving for Australia in the past year, this shortsighted decision by Te Whatu Ora will see more graduate nurses packing their bags."

Bianca Grimmer says a recent media release from Te Whatu Ora urging nursing graduates to look outside the hospital system seemed to be an attempt to “soften the blow” to the mid-year cohort.