Health Minister Simeon Brown. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
The government is taking expressions of interest for nurse practitioner scholarships as the nursing workforce strike over pay and lack of staffing.
The coalition is funding up to 120 nurse practitioner training places in primary care each year from 2026.
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the scholarship applications are part of a coordinated plan to boost the workforce and ease pressure on doctors.
"Too often, patients wait longer than they should to see a health professional. Expanding the nurse practitioner workforce means faster, more consistent care for those who need it most."
It comes as thousands of nurses walked off the job over deadlocked contract negotiations.
Brown said there were currently 897 nurse practitioners registered in New Zealand, including 339 working in primary care.
"We're committed to growing this workforce and enabling more nurses to work in the nurse practitioner advanced scope of practice."
Primary care scholarships will open for nurses who want to undertake advanced practice education, such as registered nurse prescribing, next month.
Applications were also open for primary care employers to recruit and support up to 400 graduate nurses each year.
Funding includes $20,000 for each graduate registered nurse employed by rural primary and community health providers and $15,000 for those employed by urban providers.
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