Shane Reti, third from left, and Anne Daniels, far right. Photo: NZNO / supplied
Nurses have told the health minister they need more staff and more funding if the sector is going to meet the government's targets.
Shane Reti gave a speech at the New Zealand Nurses Organisation's annual conference at Tākina in Wellington on Tuesday morning.
In her introductory remarks, union president Anne Daniels laid down the gauntlet: "You have said a number of times that you are looking to make a difference."
"All these targets need more nurses and more funding," she said. "And we need pay parity."
She said every day, nurses were being asked to do more with less: "I believe every delegate in this room will be able to tell you a story about what that looks like."
The government's five health targets were first announced six months ago: faster cancer treatment, improved immunisation for kids, shorter stays in emergency departments, as well as shorter wait times for specialist appointments and treatment.
"Targets save lives," Reti told the conference, and nurses were part of the "that very important front line".
The health system had more funding than ever with more than $30 billion a year in Budget 2024 - the largest investment in health, he said.
There were now more nurses employed in hospitals than ever before, he said, with 29,404 full-time equivalent nurses across the country at the end of March - an additional 1198 compared to the previous quarter, and an overall increase of 2900 over the past year.
However, he said "bold new thinking" was needed, and he would soon begin a review of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act "to make sure it is fit for purpose".
The minister left straight after his speech and was not available for questions from the media.