Migrant nurses are experiencing racism and cultural scrutiny daily in New Zealand with experts saying "it's time to talk".
A Massey University study released today revealed dozens of cases of patients refusing care from migrant nurses and cultural barriers between staff putting patients at risk.
The research, led by associate professor Margaret Brunton, involved 53 face-to-face interviews and nation-wide online survey released to seven of the 20 district health boards.
Brunton said she was surprised by the extent of cultural barriers that emerged within the study and felt it prompted further discussion.
The Herald spoke to two migrant nurses, who cannot be identified, about the racial abuse they had faced.
An Auckland senior nurse who has worked in the country for over 10 years said she was once called a "f**ken Asian b***" by a 12-year-old patient.
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"A nurse I worked with once put a sign up in the ward saying 'Kiwi nurses only' after a male patient made it clear he didn't want Indians looking after him," she said.