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The urologist shortage reported in Southland is not confined to that region. In RNZ reporting republished by the Otago Daily Times on October 1, 2026, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) chairperson Dr Sharon English also pointed to regular locum use in Tauranga and Nelson. The report describes examples and attributed assessments—not a census of every region affected.
What the report says about Southland
Southland did not have a permanent full-time urologist at the time of the report. Health New Zealand was transferring patients as far as Christchurch and using locums to provide cover. RNZ reported, based on documents released under the Official Information Act, that the locum arrangement cost $3,000 per day. That is the rate reported for these arrangements in 2026, not an established standard rate for locum urologists elsewhere.
The report does not include the full OIA documents, so the transfers and arrangements described here are those reported by RNZ and republished by the Otago Daily Times; they are not an independent audit of the underlying records. It also does not provide detailed Southland waiting-list figures.
Why RACS says the problem reaches other regions
English told RNZ’s Morning Report that locums were regularly used at hospitals in Tauranga and Nelson, as well as describing pressure in Southland. She said: “This is a problem that exists not only in Southland but other rural areas of New Zealand. There’s a lot of places with a shortage of urologists.”
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Those examples indicate a wider problem, but the report does not establish how many vacancies exist in Tauranga or Nelson, or how many other regions are affected. It does not provide a complete regional comparison of permanent staffing, locum cover, transfers or delays.
Retention and the path back to a New Zealand job
English identified uncertainty about future jobs as one concern for trainee retention. She said trainees may go overseas for additional experience and stay if they are offered work there, while returning trainees may not know whether a New Zealand position will be available. In her words: “Trainees in New Zealand aren’t given any indication there is a job they can come back to and as their training they tend to do a year overseas, to get more specialist training, work with different urologists, but if they get offered a job they may decide to stay and we’ve lost a number of trainees to Australia in recent years.”
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This is English’s explanation of a retention risk, not evidence that it is the sole or principal cause of the shortage. The report also notes that hiring someone already working in New Zealand to fill one position could leave a vacancy elsewhere. The material does not quantify the relative contribution of training capacity, retention, regional working conditions, demand, operating capacity or funding.
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How the national workforce estimate differs from Southland’s situation
Health New Zealand’s Health Workforce Plan 2024 medicine analysis estimates a current national urology shortage of 15 specialists, or 13.3%, and projects a 4.9% shortage by 2033. These are national model estimates from the 2024 plan, not a live count of Southland vacancies or a regional breakdown. They should not be read as the number of unfilled jobs in Southland.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Health New Zealand’s response and what is still unclear
Health New Zealand acknowledged that Southland patients were waiting longer than desired. It said patients were triaged according to clinical need and wait time, and stated its commitment to strengthening the urology workforce. The report does not give a funded recruitment timeline or detailed current wait-list data, and the national workforce estimate does not answer those local questions.
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