Previously there were 41 rallies planned around the country, including a march to Parliament in Wellington for the historic day of actions.
Now rallies planned for areas affected by red weather warnings are cancelled. This covers Wellington, Wairarapa, and Canterbury. Some rallies in parts of Otago are also cancelled due to orange level warnings and no indoor venues available.
Some other rallies have been moved inside — the updated list of rallies, changes and cancellations are found here.
More than 100,000 workers are expected in the strikes by essential services in collective bargaining, including NZNO Te Whatu Ora and Corrections members. Major rallies in centres like Auckland will still go ahead.
On Wednesday MetService warned that winds gusting up to 130kph in Wellington and Wairarapa could create “a threat to life from flying items and falling trees” on Thursday.
“Destructive winds will cause widespread damage including powerlines and roofs, with dangerous driving conditions and significant disruption to transport and power supply.”
Christchurch and wider Canterbury faced similar threats with winds expected to gust up to 150kph in places. MetService issued orange wind and rain warnings for parts of Otago for Thursday.
To hear what nurses are feeling ahead of the strikes read here.
Te Whatu Ora members’ latest strike comes after they downed tools in July and September.
Last Friday it was firefighters’ turn to strike — about 2000 going out for an hour, with NZNO members supporting them.
That came as job-matches within Te Whatu Ora dried up for nursing graduates in the mid-year cohort, as reported by Kaitiaki.