Double the income: New Zealand nurses still heading to Australia despite big pay rises at home

New Zealand nurses are still looking to Australia for work despite significant pay rises last year. One nurse’s experience shows why the grass is sometimes greener.

A New Zealand nurse who works in
target=”_blank”>Australia says she earns more than twice the amount she would at home, even after historic pay rises last year.

Christina Boulton, from Rangiora, is a “fly-in, fly-out” nurse with 30 years’ experience who most recently worked at an indigenous-focused clinic in Alice Springs in Australia’s Northern Territory.

In her previous role as a full-time practice nurse in Christchurch, she was earning $38 an hour. She could earn up to $45 an hour if she did relief or casual work but this sometimes meant fewer hours.

At the Australian Aboriginal Congress in Alice Springs, she was earning between $71 and $100 an hour, depending on the contract. She also received free return flights, accommodation and a vehicle. She had her pick of roles, locations and the length of her contract.

She has done two short-term stints in Australia but she said permanent work was available.

“You’re literally saying, ‘This is what I want’, and they’ll give it to you,” she said. “I just turn up.”

Pay rises in New Zealand last year brought nursing salaries roughly in line with their Australian counterparts. The pay equity deal increased senior nurses’ pay to between $114,000 and $163,000 a year and registered nurses to between $76,000 and $107,000.

But the increases were not across the board. They did not apply to nurses in primary care or urgent care clinics like Boulton’s old job. A pay equity claim has now been lodged for this sector.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) kaiwhakahaere (president) Kerri Nuku said it was this group that was typically heading overseas for better pay and opportunities.

There were now limited openings for hospital jobs and many nurses were not content to stay on lower pay scales in primary care or at Māori providers, she said.

Nuku noted that the work in Australia was often short term and was not for everyone. Most nurses who registered in Australia were new graduates who were young and unattached. They typically worked short contracts in remote places and came back after a few years.

It is not just Australian pay rates which appeal to Boulton. Working conditions are also an important factor. Most Australian states legislate for minimum staff-to-patient ratios and other safeguards.

And Australia is aggressively targeting New Zealand for staff. The Herald reported this week that Queensland Health had launched a new advertising campaign targeting New Zealand, Canadian and UK nurses with generous relocation packages.

RNZ reported last month that a growing number of nurses were seeking registration in Australia. In all, 9000 New Zealand nurses had registered to work there in the last 10 months, roughly 12 per cent of the total workforce. It is not known how many went on to take up jobs in Australia.

A workforce stocktake last year found there were 4000 nursing vacancies across the country. But Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora this month expressed optimism after increasing staffing numbers through recruitment drives.

Chief People Officer Andrew Slater told the Herald that nursing numbers had risen by 1900 fulltime equivalents in the year to September, and most public health services were now “well-placed” in terms of staffing levels. There were still some gaps in specialist areas like mental health and addictions.

While more nurses are being trained, the Government is also looking offshore for recruits. There are concerns that internationally recruited nurses simply head straight to Australia.

“I note a significant number of internationally qualified nurses that register in New Zealand then also register in Australia on short notice,” Health Minister Shane Reti told the Herald.

Since coming into the role, Reti has made workforce shortages his top priority. He stressed that nurses had always shifted between the two countries and said New Zealand should not “set out to have a ‘nursing race’ with Australia”.

“What I’m asking Health New Zealand to do is work really hard on recruitment, retention and remuneration for all our health workforce.”

National outlined measures to retain nurses in New Zealand during the election campaign: repay up to $4500 of nursing students’ costs each year if they committed to staying in the country for five years after graduation and allow qualified foreign nurses to get six-month visas without needing a job offer.

Asked about these campaign promises, Reti’s office said the bonding scheme remained under consideration.

Isaac Davison is an Auckland-based reporter who covers health issues. He joined the Herald in 2008 and has previously covered the environment, politics, and social issues.