Healthcare workers are celebrating Florence Nightingale's birthday on Auckland's streets today with a call for action.

Hundreds of nurses, midwives and other health professionals are marching from Auckland’s Domain today.

The demonstration coincides with International Nurses Day.

The event organiser, who only wanted to be known as Florence, says nurses feel like no one is listening to their calls for help.

"Just like nurse Nightingale did in the 19th century, New Zealand nurses and healthcare assistants are calling for drastic changes to save our healthcare for our future."

She says they're dealing with unsafe staffing levels.

"Staff are getting hurt, injured, assaulted, nothing changes. We're short staffed we are running numbers below and we're not actually able to give the right amount of nursing care to our patients."

The march starts at midday from the Domain main gate on Park Road, past Auckland City Hospital and down to Aotea Square.