Ambulances on Monday were diverted to Auckland City Hospital due to lack of capacity at Middlemore Hospital as the New Zealand Nurses Organisation says patients are being put at "serious risk".
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Too few staff and not enough beds led to ambulances bound for Middlemore being diverted, and the NZNO claimed the Counties Manukau District Health may have to request emergency assistance from the New Zealand Defence Force.
"Nurses are at breaking point, many telling us they are leaving the profession or going to work overseas because of intolerable workloads," NZNO organiser Justine Sachs said.
But the Counties Manukau DHB says "under no circumstances" would it request assistance from the defence force.
A spokesperson said ambulances were temporarily diverted on Monday between 7:30 and 9:30pm, due to the increased number of people to the emergency department.
"This was necessary as 16 nurses called in sick just before the beginning of the evening shift.
"The decision to divert was to ensure patients who were acutely unwell could be seen within appropriate timeframes.
"As a result, 17 patients were diverted, of which six were admitted to Auckland City Hospital."
A statement from the NZNO said the "emerging crisis" demonstrates the serious problems district health boards face recruiting and retaining nurses.
"Delays caused by diverting ambulances to other hospitals puts patients at risk and puts pressure on other hospitals also struggling to cope because they are under-staffed and under-resourced," Sachs said.
"Given the enormous stress on our under-resourced health system it's frightening to contemplate how hospitals in the Auckland region would cope should there be a catastrophic event."
Newshub.
