It has been announced that the New Zealand Nursing Council (NZNC) will post guidelines for overseas applicants on its website following accusations of the employment of foreign nurses deemed by many to fall short in terms of skills and language training.

As well as criticising a lack of transparency in terms of the council’s registration process for foreign nurses, industry professionals have also accused the NZNC of making money from the $485 fee it charges to assess the eligibility of nurses trained overseas.

The guidelines are to be made clearer following a meeting called by Health Minister Tony Ryall, who said: “I have asked the Nursing Council to work with the Ministry of Health on a range of workforce issues and to help ensure there is a good-quality nursing workforce.”

“We discussed a number of issues, and they include compliance costs for nurses and English language requirements.”
Nursing Council acting chief executive Carolyn Reed said: “The council is working hard to provide clear and transparent guidelines for all applicants for registration in New Zealand.”

Reed also rejected accusations that the fee charged to assess foreign-trained nurses is merely a form of “revenue gathering”, claiming: “it is necessary to ensure nursing standards.”