Theatre nurse on why she is in Australia earning double

There is growing pressure on the government to do more to retain our nurses, with thousands registering to work in Australia where they can get far better pay and conditions. RNZ revealed earlier this week that nearly 5000 nurses had signed up since August, with some being offered as much as $8,500 per week. In a moment we'll ask the Deputy Prime Minister what can be done to prevent our already-stretched healthcare workforce from being completely gutted. But first, we hear from one New Zealand theatre nurse who was feeling so burnt-out that she decided to go on a working holiday to a small town in New South Wales. She asked not to be named. In Australia, she's earning double what she was making here. She's also getting free accomodation; a $106-per-day living payment; a daily food allowance; and extra if she works nights or weekends. The bonuses mean she's able to save her entire base salary, which has her seriously considering moving there permanantly rather than going back to a job she says was killing her.