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While national discussions about healthcare often focus on workforce shortages and burnout, the December 2024 New Zealand Women in Medicine (NZWIM) Workforce Survey provides a more nuanced picture — balancing challenges with purpose, and pressures with hope. The survey, the third of its kind produced by NZWIM, captured the experiences of women and gender-diverse doctors across Aotearoa.
Hauora Taiwhenua spoke with Dr Orna McGinn, Chair of NZWIM and a rural GP at Ostend Medical Centre on Waiheke Island, about what the findings reveal — particularly through a rural lens.
The Pulse of the Workforce
Dr McGinn says NZWIM surveys were created to strengthen connection and advocacy for women doctors across the health system.
“We began as a Facebook group to reduce isolation, but we soon realised genuine connection comes through shared purpose,” she explains. “So we built NZWIM as a charitable trust — a place that bridges primary and secondary care and gives women doctors a collective voice.”
The latest survey, developed with advice from Te Whatu Ora and benchmarked against UK data, provides a clearer picture of what keeps doctors in medicine — and what drives them away.
“There’s a lot of talk about dissatisfaction,” Dr McGinn says, “but we also wanted to know what makes people stay. Most respondents enjoy their work because it’s intellectually fulfilling, meaningful, and connects them to patients and communities. That’s especially true in rural general practice, where those relationships really matter.”
What the Survey Data Reveals
The survey shows that while many doctors find satisfaction in their work, pressures remain significant. Just over half reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their day-to-day work (58% in community settings, 55% in hospitals). Yet burnout is high: 69% said they are “worn out at the end of the day,” and 42% reported “lacking energy for family and friends during leisure time.”
Retention is a critical concern. Around 41% of community doctors and 30% of hospital doctors have recently discussed leaving the profession, and a similar proportion have explored alternative careers or overseas opportunities. While only a small number plan to leave within a year, many are looking to reduce hours or clinical workload, adding to ongoing pressure.
“This potential attrition could lead to fewer available clinics, longer waiting times for patients, and increased spending on locum staff,” Dr McGinn says. “Quantifying these outcomes highlights the urgent need for retention strategies that move decision-makers from concern to action.”
The Rural Lens
From Ostend Medical Centre on Waiheke Island, Dr McGinn experiences firsthand the unique realities of rural healthcare.
“Rural doctors face different pressures — not necessarily greater, but often more critical,” she says. “Recruiting staff can be difficult when housing or schooling options are limited. We also manage patients with high acuity because access to secondary services can be slow or distant.”
She recalls situations where referrals to specialists can take months, leaving rural GPs managing complex chronic conditions long-term. “That’s just the reality. You find ways to adapt, but it adds weight to the role. Professional isolation can creep in, especially when taking on governance, supervision, and extra administrative duties simply because there’s no one else to do it.”
Support networks, however, help. “On Waiheke we have strong relationships with Auckland City Hospital and Starship colleagues, and that connection makes a huge difference. But in some parts of New Zealand, that access isn’t as easy.”
Looking Forward – Solutions and Actions
Dr McGinn wants policymakers to focus on retention, funding, and workforce planning. She believes retention is the cornerstone of workforce sustainability — and that solutions must extend beyond recruitment to address working conditions, support structures, and scope of practice.
“We need to understand why doctors leave, support training pathways, and develop models that allow teams to work effectively together. This is particularly important in rural areas where staffing and access are limited.”
She sees potential in better-networked rural models, where GPs and nurse practitioners collaborate and share expertise. “Our nurse practitioners are gaining advanced skills, but often lack funding or structures to use them fully which is a huge, missed opportunity. If we can connect teams better — across clinics, across disciplines — we can share the load and deliver more sustainable, patient-centred care.”
Why We Stay
Amid the challenges, connection keeps Dr McGinn motivated — to her patients, colleagues, and community.
“There’s no more rewarding job than being a GP. It’s a privilege to be trusted by people, to make even a small difference. Sometimes the rewards are unexpected — my patients know I love gardening, so they bring me plants and seedlings. Those little gestures remind me why I do what I do.”
That sense of connection is widely shared. According to the NZWIM Workforce Survey, 86% of primary care doctors said patient contact was their main source of satisfaction, while more than 80% described their work as fulfilling and rewarding. For Dr McGinn, those statistics put numbers to what many rural doctors already know — that connection is the key to sustaining New Zealand’s medical workforce.
“Connection keeps people healthy. That’s true for our patients, and it’s true for us as clinicians. If we can rebuild those connections — across systems, sectors, and communities — we’ll build a stronger, more resilient workforce for the future.”
About NZWIM
New Zealand Women in Medicine is a charitable trust supporting women and gender-diverse doctors across the health system. It provides connection, advocacy, and data-driven insights to strengthen the medical workforce in Aotearoa.
Read the full NZWIM Workforce Survey 2024 here.
For more research on rural health outcomes, see Hauora Taiwhenua’s Rural Research Snapshot 2024 here.
