Lay summary
New Zealand’s paramedicine organisations face ongoing recruitment and retention challenges. Media and industry reports show staffing problems are putting intense pressure on the existing paramedicine workforce and undermining New Zealanders’ access to reliable and efficient emergency medical services. The costs of these workforce issues are borne unequally by diverse groups of health service users. Research shows that Māori, Pacific, and rural populations suffer disproportionately from inequitable access to paramedic services. To address such inequities and continue delivering adequate medical care, the New Zealand paramedicine workforce must be adequately and appropriately staffed by workers from culturally representative backgrounds. Our activation activities will lay a foundation for future research exploring the unique challenges of adapting to the work culture in New Zealand paramedicine organisations. Our ultimate goal is to help address recruitment and retention challenges and contribute to increasing cultural diversity among newcomers to New Zealand’s paramedicine workforce.