Three wards at Christchurch Hospital will stop work for two hours tomorrow as part of a strike over what union members say are unsafe staffing levels.
Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) working in Theatre, the Post-Anaesthetic Care Unit and Radiology will walk off the job between 2pm and 4pm.
Christchurch Hospital theatre delegate Gayl Marryatt said members voted in late July to take strike action after long-standing concerns about staff shortages were not addressed.
“The strike is a result of the desperate staffing issues faced by members on a daily basis.
“Te Whatu Ora’s complete unwillingness to resolve the issues raised in bargaining has meant that members are now standing up to tell Te Whatu Ora, and the Government, that they are willing to take direct action and win on these issues.
“We are taking this action so Te Whatu Ora recognises there are not enough nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and kaimahi hauora. We want patients to get the care they need.
“If the Coalition Government is as committed to patient safety as it claims, it will ensure they are not under-staffed, under-resourced and overworked,” Marryatt said.
A public picket will be held outside the hospital during the strike, and life-preserving services will continue to operate.
Health New Zealand responds
Health New Zealand said it was “deeply concerned” at the latest strike notices.
“Continued strike action by NZNO members is impacting patients and delaying the surgeries and treatment many have already been waiting for too long.
“The planned strike, should it go ahead, would see the postponement of an estimated 2,251 planned procedures, 3,600 first specialist appointments and 8,000 follow-up appointments.
“Strikes delay care and treatment for patients not just for the hours of the strike but for the days leading up to and after a strike” Health New Zealand said in a statement.
“In the days leading to a strike, we carry out fewer procedures and try and reduce the number of patients in our hospitals needing care. After a strike it takes time to catch up on demand and return our services to normal.
“We are committed to reaching a settlement with the NZNO however the outstanding issues need to be resolved through further bargaining, not more strike action.
“We are concerned that further strike notices have been issued by NZNO without agreeing the next steps for resolving the collective negotiations.
“The NZNO has issued two strike notices for 16-hours from 7am – 11pm on Tuesday 2 September and Thursday 4 September.
“We value our nursing workforce, and we want to reassure them and the public that Health NZ is completely committed to patient and staff safety” Health New Zealand said.
“For us safe staffing in a busy hospital environment includes the skill mix of the staff, the way care is provided, strong clinical judgement, flexibility and thoughtful decision making from our experienced leaders on the frontline.
“We recognise improvements can be made to the current safe staffing approach and we are exploring how that can be progressed. We have spoken to the union about safe staffing but are yet to receive a coherent response.
“We have more nurses working for Health NZ than ever before and we are continuing to actively recruit to fill vacant nurses’ positions across the country” Health New Zealand said.
“Over the past two years our nursing FTE has increased by over 3,000 and turnover has dropped from 13.3% to 8.1% and our vacancy rate is 3.6%.
“We believe the offer we have made to the union is a fair one and better than many other offers being made in the public sector” Health New Zealand said.
“The offer rejected by the union would see a new graduate nurse on $75,773 gain a total pay increase of $8337 (or 11%) by the end of June 2026 once step progression is included. A registered nurse on the highest step with a base salary of $106,739 would see their pay increase by $3224 to $109,963 by the end of June 2026.
“The average salary for both senior and registered nurses, including overtime, PDRP allowance, and penal rates, is $125,662.
“We encourage NZNO to put patients first by lifting the strike notices and returning to the bargaining table.”
