Health Minister’s message to nurses striking outside his office

Health Minister and Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown says thousands of New Zealanders who are already waiting too long for care will now wait even longer because the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) union has decided to strike again this week.

More than 36,000 NZNO nurses, midwives and health care assistants walked off the job from 7am to 11pm on Tuesday and will strike again on Thursday.

It comes as a crowd of protestors gathered outside his office in his electorate earlier today. Brown was prepared however, displaying a message of his own across the windows of his two-storey office.

‘NZNO union strike disrupts more than 13,000 surgeries and appointments,’ it read.

“It will mean thousands of New Zealanders face more disruption, including around 2,251 more surgeries and treatments such as hip, knee, and cataract operations cancelled or postponed, additional delays for approximately 3,600 first specialist assessments, postponement of around 8,000 critical follow-up appointments,” Brown said in a statement.

“Even appointments before and after the strike will be delayed, with impacts expected to drag on well beyond the strike itself.

“For many patients, that means more pain, more uncertainty, and more time without the care they need.”

He says the Government values nurses and the vital care they give patients, which is why it’s “invested heavily in our nursing workforce”.

“This strike is a choice by the NZNO union to put politics ahead of patients.

“It will not shorten waitlists or improve care. It will only make delays worse for people already in pain and waiting for treatment.

“The NZNO union has also refused to disclose how its members voted on this strike.

“They should be upfront about it. Patients and nurses deserve honesty, not secrecy,” Brown says.

“Health New Zealand remains ready to negotiate in good faith.

“The current offer would see a new graduate nurse on $75,773 receive a total pay increase of $8,337 by the end of June 2026, including step progression.

“We will keep working to reduce wait times and get patients the care they need, when they need it.

“We thank the thousands of nurses who will continue to care for patients during this period, and we call on the NZNO union to stop playing games with people’s lives, step back from this strike and return to the bargaining table and put patients first.”

NZNO delegate Noreen McCallan says the two-day strike action was not taken lightly by members.

“We are doing this because we fear for the safety of our patients. We will lose two days’ pay for striking but we are standing up for safe staffing because it is the right thing to do.

“We became health workers because we want to care for people. But staff shortages have become overwhelming and exhausting for many of us. Our patients are suffering longer because we can’t get to them as quickly as we should.”

Te Whatu Ora calls to return to the bargaining table don’t make sense because NZNO never left it, McCallan says.

“NZNO has been in bargaining with Te Whatu Ora for almost a year. During this time NZNO has engaged in 28 days of bargaining, 13 of those were with support from the Mediation Service and three days in facilitation with the Employment Relations Authority.”