By Friday, 3 October 2025, 2:52 Pm Press Release: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Copyright scoop

Frustration over their patient safety concerns remaining
unaddressed after a year of bargaining has resulted in more
than 36,000 NZNO nurses, midwives, health care assistants
and kaimahi hauora voting to take further strike

The Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa
NZNO members today voted to hold a four-hour strike from
11am to 3pm on Thursday 23 October.

executive Paul Goulter says the NZNO negotiating team has
now held 31 days of meetings with Te Whatu Ora since
collective bargaining began in September

“Today’s vote shows NZNO’s
Health NZ -Te Whatu Ora members are frustrated that one year
on, their concerns about safe staffing levels not being
enforced and the risks that creates for patient safety, are
still not being heard.

“Our members are
telling Health NZ they are understaffed and overworked. Te
Whatu Ora’s own figures show that New Zealand’s
hospitals were, on average, 587
nurses short every shift last year.

Minister Simeon Brown has acknowledged they “need to be hiring
more nurses at Health NZ,” Paul Goulter

“It’s time for Te Whatu Ora to now reflect
this in their bargaining approach; remove the covert
recruitment freeze, enforce safe staffing levels and commit
to hiring nurse graduates.

“Te Whatu Ora nurses,
midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora will
stand proudly alongside primary school teachers, allied
health and mental health workers on 23 October,” Paul
Goulter says.

members will strike from 11am to 3pm on Thursday 23 October
2025.The strike will occur at every place in New
Zealand at which Health New Zealand provides health services
and/or disability support services.NZNO members
will provide Life Preserving

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