Whakatāne nurse graduates ‘stoked’
Whakatāne bachelor of nursing Māori graduate Kererū Hicks (he uri o Te Arawa, Rangitane me Te Aupouri) said she was “stoked” to be matched with a surgical role at Whakatāne Hospital, after three years juggling babies and study.
“My baby was eight months when I started my degree. I remember at the start, on the breaks, going down to the preschool and feeding him,” she told Kaitiaki. “It was worth it!”
Now she would be able to care for people in her community, she said.
“We go into our placement and we see that there’s a lack – especially Māori nurses. So you want to go there, be that support for our whānau in hospitals.”
Lack of nursing jobs meant the past couple of years had been “really scary” for students — especially single parents who needed more than 0.6 FTE.
“Ninety-nine per cent of our class are mums and we’ve got single mums who’ve made a big sacrifice to better their lives. [Thinking] there will be no jobs at the end is a little bit disheartening.”
Another Whakatāne graduate, Jessica Matenga-Barnes (Ngāti Tahu, Ngati Whaoa, Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto), was also happy to be matched to a role at Te Whatu Ora Lakes, in the Rotorua/Taupō districts. She hoped to eventually work in emergency nursing.
“I love it – I love the fast pace, I love the face to face, I enjoy just being among people who need my care, so that’s my passion,” she told Kaitiaki.
Matenga-Barnes said, with a $60,000 student loan, moving overseas for work had definitely been on the cards had she not landed a role — but this was off the table for now.
Being a Māori nurse working in emergency was a bonus, she said.
“I love to be first point of contact when any person comes through emergency doors. I have the personality to try and make every situation as calming as possible and being a Māori and being in Whakatāne just makes it even better!”
Te Whatu Ora today announced it had offered jobs to 800, and “expected to offer” jobs within six months to another 600 of the 2200 total registered nursing (RN) graduate applicants for 2025 — an 80 per cent hiring rate. This was “one of the largest graduate intakes in a decade”, according to chief executive Dale Bramley.
While a big leap from the 52 per cent hired this time last year — and 45 per cent this July, it does not go far enough, say student leaders.
Just 800 will be employed immediately, with another 600 to be “phased in” over the next six months, bringing to 1400 the total number of job matches for end-of-year graduates. The remaining 400 were mid-year graduates already employed.
So, for now Te Whatu Ora is offering 800 new jobs to end-of-year graduates — but it is not yet clear how many applicants from the latest intake there were, or whether they were offered full or part-time roles.
Outgoing NZNO student leader Bianca Grimmer said while she was thrilled more graduates would get jobs this year — including her own match to neonatal intensive care — she knew many who had not been matched.
“At the moment they’re just feeling pretty gutted . . . all they know is they’re sitting in a pool somewhere hoping for the best, that something will come around.”
Many had already decided to head for Australia, she said.
“After what happened with the mid-year intake, they thought, ‘Well, you know, we’re respected overseas more than we are here’.”
And while it was “definitely an improvement”, long-term planning was needed to employ all graduates.
“We’re going to continually have that problem of that overlap of the students who go back into the talent pool and cross into the territory of the new intake,” Grimmer said.
“That’s going to be a rollover problem that we continue to have if there’s not any kind of proper planning put in place.”
New NZNO student co-leader Poihaere Whare said it had been a very anxious and uncertain time for students, and she hoped the 20 per cent — 400 or so — who missed out would stay in New Zealand.
“We don’t want new graduates to be forced to find jobs outside of nursing. We need to keep them in nursing and in Aotearoa New Zealand. They are our future nursing workforce.”
Public support ‘helped’
Grimmer believed the huge publicity after NZNO students spoke out earlier this year and last year about unemployment contributed to more jobs being on offer this year.
Students appreciated the public backing, she said.
“We urge the public and NZNO members to continue to support efforts to help get New Zealand’s health system back on track.”
Minister of Health Simeon Brown said the new graduates would be a “significant boost” for the health system.
The Government was also keen to see graduates take up primary care roles, and was offering up to $20,000 a year for practices which employed new graduates.
Te Whatu Ora has not yet responded to Kaitiaki on how many of the current intake applied for roles, how many were full or part-time and how many enrolled nurse roles were being offered.
Graduates must now await their state final exam results, expected next week, before formally accepting their offers.
At a glance:
- 800 end-of-year graduates have been offered jobs now.
- 600 end-of-year graduates will be offered jobs within six months.
- It is not known how many end-of-year graduates applied.
- 400 of 722 mid-year graduate applicants were employed earlier this year.
* This article was corrected on December 2 to make it clear Te Whatu Ora had only offered jobs to 800 graduates with another 600 “expected to be offered” over the next six months.