Nurse Practitioners in New Zealand

Nurse Practitioner Employment and Development Working Party

The Minister of Health was first briefed on Nurse Practitioner Employment and Development in June 2005 by the Nurse Practitioner Advisory Committee – New Zealand. At that time, the Ministry of Health expressed the belief that promotion of the Nurse Practitioner role was required and that “Nurse Practitioners require advocates to increase clinician as well as Funding and Planning buy-in within District Health Boards”.

The Minister sought:

commitment to progressing Nurse Practitioners in the workforce; and
an innovative approach led by the Ministry.

A further Briefing was held in September 2005 and in response the Minister of Health agreed:

to establish a Working Party for the 2006 year to address sustainable employment opportunities for Nurse Practitioners
for further financial support to help fund opportunities for Nurse Practitioners to be employed.

The Terms of Reference on which the Working Party based their work programme required that they convene for a year and disestablish in December 2006. The key strategy developed by the Working Party is a Facilitation Programme to promote the Nurse Practitioner role. The Minister supported this strategy which is being implemented by DHBNZ.

Page last updated: 5 August 2009