National's Christopher Luxon "can't comment" on whether it's appropriate that one of his senior MPs has commented on an Australian election policy because "I don't know whether he has or hasn't."
Dr Shane Reti, National's health spokesperson and fourth in the party's rankings, has told the ABC news outlet that a policy of the major Australian opposition party could have a "negative impact" on New Zealand.
The Australian Labor Party has pledged to have registered nurses in aged cared facilities 24/7, which it believes will "save thousands of stressful, expensive and ultimately unnecessary trips to hospital Emergency Departments, for issues a nurse could solve on the spot".
But Dr Reti is concerned that may mean more nurses choose working in Australia over New Zealand.
"If Australia is going to significantly ramp up its demand, then as its closest neighbour, it might look towards us to meet those demands," Dr Reti told Australia's ABC. "That would be a challenge for us. That would have a negative impact on us."
He's reported as describing his comments as not "an epiphany" but the result of observing long-term workforce trends.
"I don't like to interfere in their own domestic policies and I sit in Opposition and not in government, but I also work as a clinician and get a real close look at what is happening in the aged and residential care sectors."
Australians are heading to the polls on May 21.
Asked on Tuesday whether he was aware Dr Reti was going to speak to ABC and if that was appropriate, Luxon instead spoke about his concern over shortages in the health workforce.
"You've got both parties in Australia saying they want to put a lot more nursing resources into aged care sectors, and ultimately that is going to come from New Zealand," the National leader said.
"Even within our workforce, our people are saying, in the tumult of a massive restructuring, where you have massive internal amounts of churn, people are actually going to be leaving here pretty quickly."
Luxon was pressed on whether Dr Reti should have been commenting on the Australian election.
"I don't know whether he has or hasn't. I am not aware of that. I haven't had a chance… I am not aware of it, so I can't comment. I will come back to you."
If he had done that, would it have been appropriate, he was asked.
"I need to find out the facts and understand, and then I'll come back to you."
The Australian College of Nurses says there is a shortage in the nursing workforce there and that political party promising full-time care needs to remember there must be nurses available.
Anthony Albanese, the Labor leader, is reported as conceding more nurses will need to be trained and pointed to "importing skilled labour in that area" as a possible option.
Aotearoa has its own nursing shortage that is "beyond crisis", according to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO). It says "older nurses are retiring in droves", while others are changing careers and there are too few entering the workforce. Border closures during the pandemic haven't helped and many nurses have been off recently with Omicron.
The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists this year, ahead of the Omicron outbreak, said to match Australia per capita, New Zealand needs 12,000 nurses.
"We need to declare a health workforce emergency along the lines of a civil defence emergency, to trigger official action on staff retention and recruitment and ensure it is prioritised at central government and regional hospital and community levels."
It comes amid ongoing dispute over nurses' pay. A pay equity settlement was revealed last Friday, but nurses have expressed disappointment that new rates won't be back paid to the end of 2019, as they say was earlier agreed to.
