The work of the organising team for the last couple of weeks, aside from business as usual has been focussed on support the new LOGs to get up and running. Each LOG has an allocated organiser who will work with the Chair/Interim Chair to get the group established and getting their work plans sorted. We still have a few LOG boundaries to be confirmed but in the meantime the main thing is to get people engaged in what can be done in these groups. We are already hearing some really cool ideas of how people are going to work together across our sectors to build the union.

The other main focus has been for the organising work to pivot into supporting the forthcoming Te Whatu Ora ratification meeting. There is a tight and intense timeframe to get these set up nationally and locally. We are really pleased to see that our delegates are stepping up and are prepared to lead the meetings and talk through the proposed settlement and options with each other. The meetings are always logistically challenging, but we get there with everyone working as a Team to support the union process.

We are also having a very high level of individual or personal cases coming through. We are doing our best to triage these as some issues can be slightly delayed, often due to timeframes that exist in law, while others are immediately urgent. We are endeavouring to improve our communication about this to members as often the timeframe for response from us is longer than anticipated due to unexpected events. Please have patience while we work through these member issues and please be kind to those who answer your calls, they do their best to get a response to you everyday.

As many of you will know the bargaining that takes place locally still rolls on too, so lots of stuff to do right alongside a general election looming. The current Government is intent on doing as much harm as it can to working people, attacking workers rights from every angle. Please turn up to a May Day event near you if you can. It’s an opportunity to send a clear message about how our union feels about workers rights. No better day to do this than International Workers Day.

Now we have settled the Access collective agreement this year, following two mediations, our attention turns to their colleagues at Total Care Health Services. Although these are separate entities, we know they have the same CEO, directors, owners and the same bargaining advocate as Access and the two collectives are very similar.  Our members expect parity between the two collectives, but it appears that Total Health want to snatch the titles of worst pay and conditions from Access. The latest offer from Total falls short of the improvements secured for Access members at the last round of bargaining. This is currently out for voting by members.

Department of Corrections working groups saw delegates put their names forward to support the groups, 8 in total, that came out of bargaining last year. All the working groups have now started, and though delegate attendance was incomplete, there was good engagement on several issues that will go towards informing bargaining later this year. We would encourage all delegates who have received an invitation to these groups to continue to support them. Your input is vital and without your attendance, the employer will dominate the narrative that comes out of the working groups. This is one area where workplace delegate participation is vital to progress member interests.

Members at the New Zealand Blood Service will be watching the Te Whatu Ora news carefully after NZNO sent out member comms to HNZ members that the team were bringing an offer out to ratification after some very intense negotiations to try to reach settlement. Members at NZBS had voted to pause bargaining for their collective agreement to await a Te Whatu Ora settlement as the two collective agreements aligned so closely and both members and the employer were keen to maintain parity as closely as possible.

Members will be aware we have sent out notification of paid union meetings for 1 May to a lot of employers. We took the decision not to include employer sites covered by the PHC MECA as we’re bargaining again this year and have made proposals to the employer parties to change the MECA process somewhat. We’ve met the employer parties and had a very productive conversations over a few weeks, all are committed to a streamlined process and improved process agreement this year.

Collectives currently in bargaining:

NZBS (awaiting HNZ offer)

Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa (meet again 19 May)

Total Care Health

Due to initiate soon:

Plunket: 850 members. Initiation due 1 May 2026.

PHC MECA: 2800 members, initiation due 1 May 2026.

Healthcare New Zealand: 200 members, initiation due 3 July 2026.

Department of Corrections: 400 members, initiation due 30 August 2026.

Pay Equity Update: A year on, the cost is still being carried 

The cost of living is not an abstract issue for NZNO members, petrol, food, housing and power all cost more than they did a year ago, and for most members wages have not kept pace with that reality. 

Healthcare workers are being asked to absorb a cost-of-living crisis they did not create in service to our communities. This is what systemic undervaluation looks like in real time. 

On 6 May it will be one year since the Equal Pay Act was amended, stripping back access to claims for tens of thousands of workers overnight. That anniversary is not just a milestone, it’s a reminder of what was taken, and what must be won back. In the 12 months since, NZNO has continued raising claims, testing the amended system in practice, and building the evidence base needed to challenge it. Progress has been challenging, but the work has not stopped. 

Every claim is a line in the sand, forcing recognition of this work and exposing the barriers that still stand in the way of fair pay. 

Right now, Nurses at BUPA are voting on whether to raise a pay equity claim for aged care nursing. That vote matters. It is a chance to use the rights that remain, strengthen the case for change, and build collective pressure for a system that delivers real equity. 

This ballot closes at 5pm today and results will be released on Tuesday.

NZNO is also waiting on comparator information from Te Whatu Ora, which will shape how current claims can advance. These delays have real consequences, and we are continuing to push for timely access. 

This election, the question is unavoidable: will politicians continue to rely on undervalued care work, or will they act to fix it? 

Members have a role in shaping that answer. Talk to your colleagues, share what you know about pay equity, and when the time comes, vote for it. 

Summerset 

We are back in bargaining with Summerset on 7 May, and will be meeting with the delegate team ahead of that. Our goal is to improve the current offer, which is below the industry standard and would reduce terms and conditions of employment for staff going forward. We have collected hundreds of petition signatures from Summerset sites across NZNO and E tū membership.  

This week members are Summerset Avonhead and Summerset Cavendish have held lively pickets outside of their premises. 
Thank you to everyone involved in demonstrating to Summerset that members care about these issues.  

Aged care National Delegates Committee 

Aged care National Delegates Committee meets this week to review our progress today and to plan the next steps of our sector plan. 

Pay Equity for aged care nurses 

A ballot has been sent to aged care nurses seeking endorsement of a pay equity claim for aged care nurses. The ballot closes today. 

MetLife 

Metlife Korori has been sold to Radius. NZNO and E tū are working together to ensure that members terms and conditions remain into the future.  

Change proposals  

We are still seeing a stream of change proposals reducing hours on rosters. Members are given opportunities to give feedback about reducing already low staffing levels. What can help is members working together to agree alternative rosters and demonstrating against these changes.  

Sector-wide

Our new National Delegates Committee (NDC) has been elected to set the strategic direction for our sector:

• North: Olivia Vodanovich (Allevia Hospital) and Recel Malvar (Totara Hospice)

• Midlands: Dianne Harper (Grace Hospital) and Lauren Te Whaiti (Waipuna Hospice)

• Central: Joanne Drylie (Cranford Hospice) and Amber Frith (Crest Hospital)

• South: Donna Burnett  (Nelson Tasman Hospice) and Rachel Russell (St Georges Hospital)

This gives us equal representation between Hospices and Private & NGO Hospitals. Within our Private & NGO hospitals, we also have representation from each of the major players: Allevia, Southern Cross (Crest), and Evolution (Grace).

The NDC will be meeting over the next few months to set the strategic direction for the committee.

I would also like to thank the candidates who weren’t elected.

HOSPICE

Hospice MECA (Rotorua, Taupō, Eastern Bay of Plenty, Marlborough)

A formal offer is almost ready to take to members. We are planning to hold ratification meetings to vote on the offer over the next three weeks.

Four Hospice MECA (Waikato, Waipuna, Mary Potter, Harbour Hospice)

We are finalising the wording of a formal offer to bring to members. We are planning to hold ratification meetings to vote on the offer over the next three weeks.

Whanganui Hospice

We will be returning to negotiations soon.

Hospice Southland

Our new collective agreement has been ratified!

Mercy Hospice

We are preparing for negotiations.

COMMUNITY HOSPITALS

Clutha Health

As we now have a copy of the Te Whatu Ora settlement, we will return to negotiations.

Dunstan

As we now have a copy of the Te Whatu Ora settlement, we will return to negotiations.

Maniototo

We have finished claims meetings, and delegates are developing a proposed claims list for endorsement.

PRIVATE & NGO HOSPITALS

ABI/Evolve Rehab

We are expecting a formal written offer from the employer in the next week.

Allevia

We are meeting with the employer to review CSSD pay rates following the PSA Te Whatu Ora deal on Thursday, 30 April.

Allevia Kensington

The parties are exploring an interim offer to get a pay increase into your pockets. We are just working on the final details and hope to have a formal written offer to bring to you in the coming weeks.

Braemar

The employer is considering a counterproposal from the union based on our last member survey. We expect to have a response next week.

Evolution

The union met with the company last week to discuss the working groups. Both parties agree we need to start negotiations early this year.

Grace

Have your say on what you want to improve at work before Thursday, 30 April at 9am: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HZKGX3Z.

St George’s

Delegates are reviewing the results of our claims survey.

Mercy (Dunedin)

Our collective agreement has been ratified!

PRIVATE HEALTH

New Zealand Clinical Research (NZCR)

Our agreement has now expired, and members are on an IEA based on the collective. We are still in negotiations, so the employer should not try to negotiate any changes with you. We have just been notified that the employer has communicated the change with you in a letter, which we are reviewing. We also understand non-members did not received a general cost of living increase on 1 April and only received changes to the T-rates. We are reviewing what impact this will have on our legal review as we were expecting non-members to receive a further increase.

As a nurse, I have learnt over the years never to assume that the information given to me is correct. To keep my patient safe, I always need to verify that the information I have received, or information in front of me, is correct. We all know the old saying about assumptions – assumptions make an ass out of you and me. It emphasises the need to fact check before jumping to conclusions or accepting the narrative that is put in front of you. One example of this safety process is the five rights of medication administration. This keeps everyone safe.

Likewise, a recent high court case (Gibson vs Maritime New Zealand) demonstrates the veracity of the need for governance boards to ‘obtain credible information’ and ‘follow up and challenge the information they are given where necessary. While this court case has a focus on health and safety in the workplace, unions have a responsibility to question. Credible information does not just appear. It is often built, tested, and clarified through good questioning and discussion. When we do have credible information, whether in clinical practice, at the board table, or in politics, we have a responsibility to act on it.

Whatever we walk past, we accept. When we overlook issues, they become the new norm. Silent acceptance creates a ripple effect that can transform cultures within our workplaces, our homes and communities. Alternatively, we can actively work towards reimagining our work worlds through advocacy and action.

Unions and union members are well placed to create a society that lifts people up rather than tearing them down. The NZ Council of Trade Unions (CTU) is doing just that. Toputanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) is a member of the CTU and endorses the recently released challenge to all political parties ahead of the upcoming election that it is not enough to win, winning needs a winning agenda. This came hot on the heels of over 100,000 union members striking on the same day in October 2025. The strike was in response to a lengthy employment relations agenda being implemented by the Coalition Government that has only brought bad news and even worse outcomes for working people, for women, for Māori and Pacific peoples, for everybody who isn’t wealthy and sorted. In recent days, the underlying ideology of the Coalition Government continues by ignoring workers who were doing it hard well before the fuel crisis, such as our community health workers whose huge mahi is not paid or resourced equitably.

As I write, Paul Goulter (NZNO CEO) has issued a ratification notice for the 11 May 2026 to 15 May 2026 following the first formal offer received from Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand since June last year, and after over 18 months of bargaining. In a context where the current Coalition Government has saved over $500 million last year, and demands another $500 million savings this year, within Te Whatu Ora, the reluctance to recruit nurses, midwives and health care assistants to provide safe patient care, reflected by the escalating CCDM shifts under target, is telling. And we are not the only ones.

The culture of walking past and accepting ever decreasing standards is clear when doctors, nurses and many others are unable to login to access patient information. IT platforms essential to doing their work fails due to centralisation, for entire shifts, being forced to use colleagues’ logins to do their work. Contacting IT for help is a nightmare and getting help when you need it has faded away into a past time. On the ground IT staff have been slashed to save budget, just as the lack of timely or any recruitment of nurses is getting worse by the day. All of which are putting patients and those who work in healthcare at increasing risk of avoidable harm.

So, what can we expect from a government that has ripped away our right to maintain equity with our equity pay comparators? Can we expect a competitive pay rate with Queensland to quell the outgoing tide of our new graduates and experienced nurses to Australia? Currently Queensland year 7 RNs receive a base rate of $112, 000 a year. This is set to increase to $118,000 a year by 2027. This is alongside a Cost of Living annual payment, and a Superannuation rate paid by the employer of 12.75%, Sunday rate at double time, public holiday rate at 250%, post graduate qualifications recognised through an additional payment, paid professional development (up to $3600 annually) and travel time that are mandatory, relativity in senior nurse pay, equity in senior management positions a requirement, and the right to disconnect and much more are built into the Queensland contract, the most important being joint union and employer agreement on safe nurse to patient ratios based on a similar tool to CCDM.

Or do we question why we would accept a lower standard of being undervalued and underpaid that becomes the norm?

Colleges and sections are central to NZNO’s success and influence and brings together groups of members who are focused on a specific nursing specialty.

So far only less than 20% of members have elected to join a college or section, and we'd like to see you grow that number. NZNO colleges and sections can help you advance your practice through policy and professional development opportunities, and membership at most colleges and sections is open and free to NZNO members.

There’s bound to be one for every member as there are 20 colleges and sections across a range of specialty areas and members can choose to belong to as many as three. Individual membership choices are usually related to clinical specialty and/or study and research interests.

Check out our colleges and sections here. Which one(s) will you join?

Registrations are now open for the NZNO College of Respiratory Nurses 2026 Symposium - New New New – What’s New in Respiratory

When - Friday 1 May 2026
Where – The Oaks Wellington, 89 Courtney Place, Wellington

We have an exciting range of expert speakers providing insight on the latest research and management. 

Download the CRN Symposium Programme here

To register, just click on the link to go to the registration page 

2026 College of Respiratory Nurses Symposium - "New, New, New"

- Choose New Registration

Where: Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington

Tuesday 28 April

Start Time: 10.30am

Venue:  Workers’ Memorial Stone – Wellington Waterfront.

The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi welcomes you to join us for Workers' Memorial Day on Tuesday 28 April.

At 10.30 we will gather at the Workers' Memorial Stone, near the entrance to Te Papa on the Wellington Waterfront.

This is an opportunity to remember workers who have been killed and injured at work, and to fight back against the ongoing erosion of health and safety laws.

Please share within your networks.

For further information, please contact Cory Bourne coryb@nzctu.org.nz or Tai Szymkowiak taieshas@nzctu.org.nz

Not in Wellington? Find details for other events on the NZCTU website

Together – a night of music and solidarity

A historic benefit concert bringing together leading Aotearoa musicians in tribute to Helen Kelly and Peter Conway – two comrades who dedicated their lives to fighting for workers' rights.

All proceeds will go directly to UnionAID's union development projects in the SE Asia-Pacific region, backing workers organising for their rights.

The line-up features: Tiny Ruins, Don McGlashan, The Muttonbirds, SJD, Luke Buda (Phoenix Foundation), Sofia Machray, David Long, Ross Burge, and The E tū Orchestral Musicians.

Event details:

• When: Sunday 3 May 2026, 7.30pm
• Where: Meow Nui, Wellington

Tickets:

• General Admission: $58.50
• Platinum Lounge: $98.50 - elevated balcony views with guaranteed seating and a private bar. Numbers are strictly limited.

For tickets click here: Together Concert tickets | Meow Nui | Ticketek New Zealand

Petition for a public enquiry into FENZ 

The NZPFU is calling for an independent inquiry into FENZ to examine why FENZ has failed to manage funding to ensure that it has the capacity and capability for reliable emergency response to the New Zealand public.

Please sign this petition to support the call for a public inquiry into whether FENZ has been properly using its funding to ensure that it has the staffing and resources necessary to keep the New Zealand public safe.

Sign the petition here