27018 (2026). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health

27018 (2026). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health: What funding, if any, in the 2026/27 health funding baseline is committed to employing new graduate nurses?

Hon Simeon Brown: The Budget 2026 health funding baseline is intended to cover cost pressures arising from both volume growth and inflation across all services delivered or funded by Health New Zealand. Health NZ allocates its expenditure across all cost categories to align with the total funding available. The budget for 2026/27 has not yet been approved and will be published in the 2026/27 Statement of Performance Expectations.