Clarke, MiaStephen, BFrecklington, MZeng, ICarroll, MRSiegert, RJStewart, S2026-02-192026-02-192026-02-18Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, ISSN: 0303-6758 (Print); 1175-8899 (Online), Wiley, 56(1). doi: 10.1002/snz2.700250303-67581175-8899http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20655<jats:p>Despite increasing concern about the stability of New Zealand's (NZ) health workforce, no prior synthesis has estimated the prevalence of attrition or intention‐to‐leave. This systematic review and meta‐analysis included 32 studies and followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis and Meta‐Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist guidelines to estimate these rates and identify associated factors. Attrition was highest among midwives (26.0%, 95% CI: 17.0%−36.0%), doctors (26.0%, 95% CI: 24.0%−27.0%), and those without postgraduate qualifications (29.0%, 95% CI: 26.0%−32.0%). Intention‐to‐leave was most prevalent among midwives (54.0%, 95% CI: 42.0%−66.0%) and in studies conducted between 2000 and 2010 (33.0%, 95% CI: 20.0%−47.0%). These findings highlight substantial workforce instability, with clear variation by profession, time period, and educational level, underscoring the need for targeted retention strategies to support the sustainability of NZ's healthcare system.</jats:p>© 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.General Science & Technologyattritionhealthcare workforceintention-to-leavemeta-analysisNew Zealandretentionsystematic reviewturnoverintentionJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1002/snz2.70025