58994 (2025). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health

58994 (2025). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement that “around 1800 graduate registered nurses will begin hospital-based roles” this financial year; if so, how many, if any, of those roles are newly created roles arising from the most recent end-of-year Advanced Choice of Employment (ACE) round, roles carried over from previous ACE rounds, and roles that are not yet offered but are expected to be available before 30 June 2026?

Hon Simeon Brown: Yes, our Government is committed to supporting graduate Registered Nurses into employment as part of our focus on building a healthcare system that has patients at its centre. I am advised that providing this information, as requested by the Member, would require Health New Zealand to undertake a significant manual collation exercise, diverting staff from essential services that deliver access to timely healthcare. I do not consider that answering this question is justified in the public interest.