New Zealand has hundreds fewer nurses per 100,000 people than Australia, with the divide doubling in a decade.

The health system has been under huge pressure, due to the nursing shortages, Covid-19 and winter flu.

ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden said New Zealand had around 420 fewer nurses per 100,000 people than our Aussie cousins and 130 fewer doctors.

“New Zealand needs to everything we can to make our country attractive to work as a doctor or nurse. Instead, in the midst of a pandemic, the Government is making it as difficult as possible to come to New Zealand to be a nurse.

Migrant nurses aren’t eligible for residency until after two years in New Zealand.”

Brooke van Velden said “the numbers uncovered by the ACT Party show we need more than a fictional TV show.

If we had the same number of nurses per head of population as Australia, we would have 21,000 more nurses, or 37 per cent more. That’s a lot of Shortland St viewers.”