Election 2026: Greens want universal weekly payments for nurses, teachers, health workers

Students who undertake practical training for health and education jobs would receive a universal weekly payment of $380, under a proposed Green Party policy.“Students should not have to go broke while they train for the jobs New Zealand needs. Our paid placements policy will make sure they can afford the essentials while training,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson.The weekly payment would be on top of existing student loans or allowances and last for the duration of their compulsory placements.The party estimates it’ll cost $74 million to $80m a year.If students have to relocate for placements, some of those moving costs may be covered with a $1500 payment.“We will prioritise sectors where unpaid placements mean that some students have no choice but to drop out. Unpaid placements push students out of sectors where the workforce is struggling to keep up with demand, like health and education,” Davidson says.The party wants to improve student retention and widen access so people of all backgrounds and financial situations can train in those roles.“Imagine being required to spend 30 hours a week working and not being paid for it,” co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick says.“People training to be nurses, teachers and social workers are currently forced to do hundreds or thousands of hours for free in order to get into a profession that no one is doing for the money or the glory in the first place. That’s messed up. It doesn’t have to be that way. The Greens will fix it.“When our country is crying out for more teachers and nurses and social workers, the Greens will ensure that people are supported in that study and paid for their work.”Paid placements would be available to students studying the following courses and will be administered through Studylink: clinical psychology, psychotherapy, counselling, addiction practitioners, medicine, nursing, midwifery, paramedicine, occupational therapy, anaesthetic technicians, audiology, dietitians, medical imaging techs, medical lab scientists, oral health and dental tech, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, radiation therapy, speech-language therapists, teaching, social work, social work, veterinary.Katie Bradford is a senior correspondent at the Herald. She has been a broadcast journalist for over 20 years and was based in the press gallery for 10 years. She specialises in politics, business and Auckland issues.