Pinnacle New Graduate Nurse Programme: 2025 update

New national funding stream: Te Whatu Ora Health NZ national primary and community placement funding.

Purpose: To support up to 400 graduate registered nurses in primary care, community, and rural health sectors.

Funding amounts:

• • $15,000 for urban employment opportunities.
  • $20,000 for rural employment opportunities.

To be eligible for this funding, the primary care provider must meet all the following criteria per graduate registered nurse (RN).

• A signed employment contract with a graduate RN who has less than three months (90 days) experience working as a registered nurse.
• Able to provide preceptorship and clinical support for the graduate RN over 12 months.
  • Preceptorship courses can be delivered in a variety of ways including through the district, education providers or by employers themselves.
  • Online preceptorship training is freely available through Te Whatu Ora Health NZ LearnOnline.
• Able to access or deliver a supported first year of practice.
  • a supported first year of practice delivered by employer or PHO/local primary/community providers or
  • access to the district Nurse Entry Practice (NETP) programme or a similar programme.
• Ability and commitment to manage graduate RN to develop practice in a supported and effective manner:
  • specify the processes and responsible personnel in any case where graduate RN requires additional support for example performance improvement plan. 
• Graduate RNs should be working a minimum of (0.6FTE). 
• Able to provide evidence of systems to support all of the above.

This funding is open for applications now, eligibility criteria and information on how to apply can be found on Te Whatu Ora's website.

The Pinnacle New Graduate Nurse programme is being redeveloped in line with the new agreed requirements.

While eligible practices can receive national funding from Te Whatu Ora Health NZ for hiring a new graduate nurse, Pinnacle will not provide additional salary or course cost funding, in accordance with Te Whatu Ora Health NZ’s agreement requirements.

Pinnacle remains committed to supporting new graduate nurses in their first year of practice. We will continue to provide a free, structured programme which includes:

• • primary care-focused workshops for new graduate nurses
  • monthly peer groups for new graduate nurses
  • bimonthly peer groups for preceptors.

Expressions of interest for the Pinnacle New Graduate Nurse programme for February 2026 will be open from 1 August 2025. 

We’re keen to support practices that employ new graduate nurses by providing assistance for their preceptors.

This support may include a financial contribution to help release the preceptor from their usual duties, allowing dedicated one-on-one time with the new graduate nurse and to attend preceptor development opportunities. Our goal is to help ensure a successful and supported first year of practice.

We understand that each practice has unique needs, so please contact the nurse leads at nursing@pinnacle.health.nz  to discuss the options available in more detail.

For practices employing a new graduate nurse directly (i.e., outside of the Te Whatu Ora ACE recruitment process and not receiving Te Whatu Ora Health NZ Primary and Community Sector funding), please contact us at nursing@pinnacle.health.nz to discuss potential support options that may be available.