Chronic shortage of staff has forced the temporary closure of eight beds at an Auckland psychiatric unit.

The He Puna Waiora acute mental health unit is run by the Waitemata District Health Board at its North Shore Hospital in Takapuna.

Public Service Association spokesman Ashok Shankar said the facility is 12 nurses short.

"People would be working 16 hours a day just to keep the numbers of nursing staff available to look after the patients. Obviously this is not a tenable situation."

Shankar said Community Acute Service shifts at Auckland DHB have had to close as well because there are not enough nurses to provide it.

"In Auckland the problem is spread across the region. The number of nursing vacancies can not be filled. We are having great difficult recruiting and retaining new staff and the problem's just going to get worse."

However the Waitemata DHB insists it's closely working with other providers to find help for anyone affected by mental health closures, and said the recruitment process is going well and six new staff have already been found.

DHB also said the decision to close the eight beds was done in consultation with the union.