Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman
Minister of Health

30 July 2015

$846,000 for more nurse practitioner trainees

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the Government is committing $846,000 to support an additional 20 nurse practitioner trainees in 2016.

“Nurse practitioners are a valuable resource. They are highly educated and experienced, and are a key part of our health workforce,” says Dr Coleman.

“With their advanced skills and prescribing authority, nurse practitioners are a growing resource in primary care.

“They can provide a wide range of assessments and treatment for patients, and they also play an important role in providing care closer to home, particularly in regional or remote areas.

“The Government is supporting an additional 20 nurse practitioner trainees in 2016. We want to see more patients getting the care they need away from hospitals. To support this we need to further harness the skills of our workforce.”

The University of Auckland and Massey University have designed a new education programme for the 20 trainees. It will offer more supervised practice time and require employer support to ensure graduates can practise in their advanced roles as soon as they qualify and register as nurse practitioners.

As at 31 March 2015, 145 nurse practitioners were registered by the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

Nurse practitioners are experienced nurses with a clinical Master’s degree. They work in a range of settings from hospitals and aged care facilities to general practices.

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