North Shore Hospital staff declare emergency over overcrowding

Frontline healthcare workers at Auckland’s North Shore and Waitākere hospitals have declared a state of emergency, citing chronic understaffing and unprecedented overcrowding. More than 120 nurses and staff members sent a letter to the chief executive of Health New Zealand, Te Whatu Ora, describing working conditions as an “absolute nightmare.”

Reports indicate that the North Shore emergency department has operated at up to 300 percent capacity, with some patients waiting over 50 hours for a hospital bed. Staff have described treating patients in corridors and noted instances where vulnerable or incontinent patients were left in soiled beds due to resource constraints. Triage waits have reportedly stretched to 90 minutes.

During July, North Shore and Waitākere hospitals recorded nearly 14,000 emergency department presentations. While Health New Zealand has characterized this as a record-breaking winter demand, staff argue that long-standing systemic issues and staffing shortages are the primary drivers of the crisis. In response, Health NZ has announced plans to hire 50 new nursing roles for the North Shore and Waitākere facilities.