Health NZ to address nursing shortages in Auckland press briefing

Health New Zealand announced a media conference in Auckland to examine the state of the country's nursing workforce, a topic that has been contentious across multiple governments. Data released last month revealed that nearly a quarter of public-hospital nursing shifts experienced some level of understaffing, and at Starship Hospital's cancer ward only about two-thirds of shifts were fully staffed in 2025. The organization has used this data for two decades as its primary staffing monitor, while the NZNO union argues it highlights gaps in patient care.

Health NZ dismissed the figures as minimally significant, describing them as representing only a few minutes of shortfall per eight-hour shift. The briefing, streamed from 11.30, comes as the issue is expected to dominate political debate in the weeks leading up to the election.