A nursing academic says it's unethical to rely on migrant workers to fix staff shortages.

Health New Zealand will run an international recruitment service, to ease immigration for health workers.

But, New Zealand College of Nurses Executive Director, Jenny Carryer, told Heather du Plessis Allan there's a 12 million-strong global shortage of nurses, and other countries may have greater need than us.

She says all Governments need to consider their own population, and they are much more concerned to making a sustainable change to the profession.

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