Nurse Salary in New Zealand: NZ$77,667 to NZ$109,407
Cross-agency · employment
Quick answer
Under the Health New Zealand and NZNO nursing collective agreement, a new graduate registered nurse is on NZ$77,667 a year from 2 March 2026, rising through 7 steps to NZ$109,407. Both figures rise again on 2 March 2027, to NZ$79,221 and NZ$111,596.
Every figure on this page is from Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora's own published documents.
Last verified 1 source, listed below
NZNO Nursing and Midwifery Collective Agreement, 1 March 2026 to 31 October 20271. PHGuides is independent and not affiliated with any agency.
New Zealand nursing pay in the public health system is set by a collective agreement between Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, running 1 March 2026 to 31 October 2027.
That makes it one of the few destinations where a nurse can read the exact figure, and the one after it, before applying.
Registered nurses
The agreement prints three columns. The middle one is current.
| Step | From 1 Apr 2024 | From 2 Mar 2026 | From 2 Mar 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1, new graduate | NZ$75,773 | NZ$77,667 | NZ$79,221 |
| Step 2 | NZ$81,683 | NZ$83,725 | NZ$85,400 |
| Step 3 | NZ$86,519 | NZ$88,682 | NZ$90,456 |
| Step 4 | NZ$91,179 | NZ$93,458 | NZ$95,328 |
| Step 5 | NZ$100,849 | NZ$103,370 | NZ$105,438 |
| Step 6 | NZ$103,750 | NZ$106,344 | NZ$108,471 |
| Step 7 | NZ$106,739 | NZ$109,407 | NZ$111,596 |
From step 1 to step 7 is NZ$31,740 on the current column. The single biggest jump is between steps 4 and 5, worth NZ$9,912. Both are arithmetic on the published figures.
Progression is by annual increment at your anniversary date. Steps 1 to 5 are automatic. Beyond that it is annual subject to satisfactory performance, which the agreement says is assumed unless the employee is advised otherwise.
The other nursing classifications
All figures below are the 2 March 2026 column.
| Classification | Bottom step | Top step |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nurse | NZ$77,667 | NZ$109,407 |
| Enrolled, obstetric and Karitane nurses, nurses’ assistants | NZ$71,682 | NZ$87,433 |
| Health care assistants and hospital aides | NZ$61,603 | NZ$72,117 |
| Mental health assistants | NZ$60,500 | NZ$76,303 |
| Designated senior nurse, grade 1 to grade 6 | NZ$116,876 | NZ$166,872 |
The enrolled nurse top step of NZ$87,433 carries a note: the printed rate includes a 2.5 percent increase plus a NZ$2,000 scale adjustment, applied in that order.
Health care assistants and mental health assistants who meet merit criteria get an allowance added to base pay, NZ$1,000 a year at Merit 1 and NZ$2,000 a year at Merit 2. It attracts penal rates and overtime because it sits in the base rate rather than beside it.
What the agreement adds on top
These are base salaries. The agreement separately provides penal rates and allowances, including an allowance of NZ$1.46 a week in lieu where a uniform is not supplied free of charge.
None of the penal rate schedules are reproduced here. What a nurse actually banks depends on the roster, and the agreement sets that out over many clauses rather than in one figure.
What this page does not cover
Nursing in New Zealand is regulated by the Nursing Council of New Zealand. The collective agreement publishes pay. It does not publish registration, competence assessment, English language testing or immigration, so this page states none of them.
Private employers and aged residential care are outside this agreement entirely and pay under their own terms, which Health NZ does not publish. The working in New Zealand guide covers the statutory minimum wage that sits under every one of these figures.
The Philippine side
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| DMW processing, direct hire | USD 100, in peso equivalent |
| DMW processing, manual OEC through a landbased agency | ₱200.00 |
| OWWA membership | USD 25 |
| Pag-IBIG | ₱600.00 |
Charging above the allowable schedule is illegal recruitment under RA 10022, carrying 12 years and 1 day to 20 years and a fine of ₱1,000,000.00 to ₱2,000,000.00.
The recruitment agencies guide covers the licence directory and the OEC guide covers the exit certificate.
Related
The nurse salary abroad comparison puts these steps beside the other destinations that publish nurse pay, the working in New Zealand guide covers the wider wage floor, and the PEOS guide covers the free seminar to take before applying.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a nurse earn in New Zealand?
- Under the Health NZ and NZNO collective agreement, a registered nurse runs from NZ$77,667 at step 1 to NZ$109,407 at step 7 from 2 March 2026. From 2 March 2027 the same steps pay NZ$79,221 and NZ$111,596.
- How long does it take to reach the top?
- Six years on the published structure, since there are 7 steps and progression is by annual increment at your anniversary date. Steps 1 to 5 are automatic. After that progression is annual subject to satisfactory performance, which the agreement says is assumed unless you are told otherwise.
- What does each step pay?
- From 2 March 2026: step 1 NZ$77,667, step 2 NZ$83,725, step 3 NZ$88,682, step 4 NZ$93,458, step 5 NZ$103,370, step 6 NZ$106,344 and step 7 NZ$109,407.
- What about enrolled nurses?
- Enrolled, obstetric and Karitane nurses and nurses' assistants run from NZ$71,682 at step 1 to NZ$87,433 at step 5 from 2 March 2026. The step 5 figure includes a 2.5 percent increase plus a NZ$2,000 scale adjustment applied after the percentage.
- What do healthcare assistants earn?
- Health care assistants and hospital aides run from NZ$61,603 to NZ$72,117 from 2 March 2026. Mental health assistants run from NZ$60,500 to NZ$76,303. Both can add a merit allowance of NZ$1,000 or NZ$2,000 a year to base pay.
- What is the senior nurse ceiling?
- Designated senior nurse scales run from NZ$116,876 at the bottom of grade 1 to NZ$166,872 at the top of grade 6, on the 2 March 2026 column.
- Is this take-home pay?
- No. These are base annual salaries before tax and before any penal rates for nights, weekends or public holidays. The agreement sets out those separately and this page does not carry them.
- Do I need Nursing Council registration?
- Nursing in New Zealand is regulated by the Nursing Council of New Zealand. The collective agreement publishes pay, not registration, English testing or immigration, so this page states none of them.