Nursing is in trouble in New Zealand with one in five new nursing graduates leaving to work overseas and more than a third of the resident nursing workforce aged over 40. According to New Zealand Health Information Service statistics, just 6.9 per cent of New Zealand's 34,660 active registered nurses and midwives are aged between 25 and 29.

Anecdotal evidence and low nursing graduate numbers also suggests few secondary school pupils are interested in nursing. In the 12 months ending March 31, New Zealand had just 1325 registered nursing graduates; many aged in their mid thirties.

"While we're not unhappy to have mature nurses, if a profession or career isn't attractive to school leavers, then it is a dying profession," says Geoff Annals, chief executive for union and professional organisation New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO).

So what's the problem? Surprisingly, it may not be money. In 2004, the NZNO brokered a deal with the 21 District Health Boards which will see nurses' wages rise by between 14 and 30 per cent by July next year, and nurses spoken to for this article insist money is less of an issue than the workforce factors of stress, understaffing and lack of sufficient supervision, mentoring and psychological support.

"Nurses without enough time or support to meet the professional standards they are required to uphold resolve this by getting out of nursing or going overseas," says Annals.

Or they become burned out. Registered nurse Jane Hinds says when employers cut budgets, nurse support services are the first thing to go, yet are the most critical.

"Burned out nurses stop emotionally caring and can start to resent the people coming in," says Hinds. "They can start using black humour or become cynical."

Hinds, 51, has been a New Zealand registered nurse for more than 30 years and is currently employed as a night nurse for an A&E clinic. She began training at 18 through Auckland public hospitals when a tertiary degree was not required and nursing was seen as steady work for women of the Baby Boomer generation (now age 41-59). Today, this group makes up the largest percentage of registered nurses in the Western world.

Like many women of her generation, Hinds has worked as a nurse through marriage, separation, raising three children, and furthering her education - testimony to the career flexibility nursing can afford. Hinds recently gained a Masters degree in health science and psychotherapy, which she wants to use to help supervise, support and mentor student and working nurses.

Previous employers have included Plunket, private practices, public hospitals, and A&E clinics and Hinds has also worked as a clinical tutor. For all this effort and experience, her present salary is less than $50,000, but Hinds agrees with Annals that money is not the most important thing. While nursing can offer opportunities in travel, teaching and education, the lack of adequate staffing and support in hospitals makes it a harsh environment.