According to New Zealand Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman, a program aimed at filling health positions in difficult-to-staff areas is helping to create a more diverse health workforce. The percentage of Asian doctors in the country has risen from 8 percent in 2016 to 12 percent in 2017, with similar increases in Asian nurses, from 8.7 percent to 11.2 percent. The goal of the initiative, which offers loan repayments and other incentives, is to provide better health care outcomes and expanded access to care delivered by health professionals that better represent the communities they serve.