10349 (2025). Hūhana Lyndon to the Minister of Health

10349 (2025). Hūhana Lyndon to the Minister of Health: Does he agree with the Prime Minister that the remuneration of nurses has increased to $127,000 including allowances and overtime, and if so, what specific working scenario (e.g. amount of overtime, additional responsibilities) would be needed for a registered nurse to earn $127,000?

Hon Simeon Brown: As the Member will be aware, the Prime Minister was responding to a question from a radio host who referenced $127,000 in the context of our Government’s focus on delivering access to timely, quality healthcare for all New Zealanders. The Member will also be aware that the average salary of a registered nurse, including overtime and allowances, is approximately $125,660. I refer the Member to my Health Delivery Plan Cabinet paper: https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/assets/DirectoryFile/Health-delivery-plan.pdf. I am advised that to provide the specific working scenarios and total number of nurses earning a total remuneration of $127,000+ would require Health New Zealand to undertake a significant manual collation exercise, diverting staff from essential services. As per Speaker’s Ruling 185-6, the time and cost involved in answering this question are not justified in the public interest.