About the fund

This fund provides up to $5,000 in support for:

  • NZ Enrolled or Registered Nurses without a current Annual Practising Certificate (APC) looking to return to work
  • Internationally Qualified Nurses (IQNs) currently working as Health Care Assistants or Support Workers who are looking to gain their APC.

Applications for the fund will be reviewed on a monthly basis.

Note: Any retrospective applications must be lodged within two months of commencing your CAP course.

Who can get the fund

You must be:

  • be a New Zealand citizen,
  • be a New Zealand resident-class visa holder, or 
  • have applied for the 2021 Resident Visa

AND:

  • a New Zealand Enrolled or Registered Nurse without a current Annual Practising Certificate (APC) looking to return to a nursing role at an Aged Residential Care (ARC) provider, disability service provider, District Health Board (DHB), or non-government organisation (NGO), or
  • an Internationally Qualified Nurse who is currently working as a Health Care Assistant/Support worker for an ARC provider, disability service provider, DHB, or NGO, and is intends to work for their employer as an Enrolled or Registered Nurse.

Who cannot get the fund

  • Any Internationally Qualified Nurses who are not currently based in New Zealand, are on a temporary visa, or are not interested in working for an ARC provider, DHB, or NGO.
  • Student nurses currently completing undergraduate or graduate entry qualifications.

Funding available

The funding covers up to a maximum of $5,000 per nurse applicant for the following costs:

  • $5,000 for CAP/Individual programme/orientation  
  • $2,500 for English language Proficiency test costs and/or coaching 
  • $485 for CGFNS application fee  
  • $160 for Declaration of fitness/Criminal record check 
  • $485 for Application to Nursing Council for Registration  
  • $5,000 for other individual costs (e.g. childcare, transport, uniform) 

Apply now

How we decide who to fund

Funding will be prioritised based on the following areas:

  • Addressing workforce inequities – nurse applicants who identify as Māori or are of indigenous Pacific descent will be prioritised in this area.
  • Addressing critical workforce shortages – nurse applicants who are working in Aged Residential Care will be prioritised in this area.
  • Speed of registration – nurse applicants who have a less complex pathway to registration and can therefore become a practising nurse faster will be prioritised in this area.

Overall outcomes

  • Round one of applications saw a total of 65 nurses being approved for funding.
  • Round two of applications saw a total of 151 nurses being approved for funding.
  • During round two, a further 21 applications from round one were reassessed and approved.
  • As of 2 September, 2022, the combined pool of applications for round one and round two, has resulted in 225* applicants being approved for funding.

*This number is lower than the combined total due to nurse applicants or employers withdrawing from the funding process after previously being approved.

Outcomes of the round one applications

The first round of applications for this funding closed on March 14, 2022. 362 applications were received, and 65 nurses were accepted in total.

Breakdown of successful applications by sector for round one

  • Aged Residential Care: 47
  • Community Health Provider: 10
  • District Health Board: 5
  • Non-Governmental Organisation: 3

Total: 65 successful applications

Breakdown of unsuccessful applications by reason for round one

  • Did not meet eligibility requirements: 114
  • Had not started the registration process, and it couldn’t be determined by the Ministry of Health whether they could successfully gain registration: 145
  • Too early in the registration process, and it couldn’t be determined by the Ministry of Health whether they could successfully gain registration: 23
  • Were provisionally accepted but weren't able to provide sufficient evidence to support their application: 11
  • Duplicate application: 4

 Total: 297 unsuccessful applications

Outcomes of round two applications

The second round of applications for this funding closed on 20 June, 2022. 195 applications were received, and 151 nurses were accepted in total.

Breakdown of successful applications by sector for round two

  • Aged Residential Care: 108
  • Community Health Provider or Non-Governmental Organisation: 13
  • Districts: 30

Total: 151 successful applications

Breakdown of unsuccessful applications by reason for round two

  • Did not meet eligibility requirements: 30
  • Had not started the registration process, and it couldn’t be determined by Te Whatu Ora whether they could successfully gain registration: 14

 Total: 44 unsuccessful applications

For more information

If you have any questions or need more information about the Return to Nursing Workforce Support Fund, email nursingcontracts@tas.health.nz