The new offer includes a 2.5 per cent pay rise now and another two per cent next year (compared to two and one per cent previously); a promise for more transparency around vacancies and more timely recruitment, implementing some te Tiriti claims and lump sum payments for senior nurses/midwives and step 5 enrolled nurses.
Christchurch enrolled nurse Debbie Handisides, a bargaining team member, noted there was also a working group on the enrolled nurses’ role with their expanded scope.
Whangārei emergency nurse Rachel Thorn, also on the team, said it was now up to members to decide whether it was good enough.
NZNO member meetings are being held around the country, from Kaitaia to Invercargill, as well as online, to discuss the offer — the first since mid-2025. Thorn urged members to attend the meetings before voting opens on Monday. The meeting schedule can be found here. An online ballot will open on Monday May 11 and run till 5pm, May 15.
The new offer includes:
- A 2.5 per cent pay rise from March 2, 2026, followed by another 2 per cent rise from March 2, 2027.
- A $1300 lump sum for senior designated nurses/midwives; $2000 lump sum for step 5 enrolled nurses (ENs) to acknowledge their new scope of practice; and $1000 for all other eligible members.
- Extension of the tikanga pūtea for members who use te āo Māori knowledge and skills outside their day-to-day work.
- Protection of safe staffing (CCDM FTE) calculations which will not be paused, modified or stopped without NZNO’s agreement.
- A promise to keep NZNO informed of nurse vacancies at their ward/unit level, as well as district/national data.
- Joint research into nurse-patient ratios, including culturally-safe ratios.
- Nurse practitioners everywhere get the same professional development leave and funding at the maximum rate.
- Joint work on a professional pathway for health-care assistants.
- Joint work on a kaupapa Māori dispute resolution policy.
- Joint work on an EN workplan; supporting mental health and midwifery workforce and nursing workforce sustainability.
The offer summary can be found here or in detail here.
If accepted, the new collective agreement would come into effect from March 1, 2026, until October 31, 2027.
Thorn said she appreciated members had endured 20 long hard months of bargaining and would likely have a mixture of feelings.
This is the third offer from HNZ since bargaining began in September 2024. Members rejected an offer last May for a two per cent pay rise across two years. An “even worse” offer in June for three per cent across two years prompted strike action. Both failed to lock in safe staffing or match the cost of living. A counter-offer by NZNO was rejected.
There have been multiple strikes over the past 20 months’ of bargaining, starting in December 2024, then 2025’s May Day rallies, perioperative nurse and 24-hour nationwide strikes in July, a two-day strike in September, a mega ‘save our services‘ strike in October, partial strikes in November, dozens of uniform strikes around the country and a district nurses’ strike in April this year.
NZNO bargaining team member Waikato RN Maria Tutahi