District health boards (DHBs) are the cornerstone of New Zealand’s public health system and DHB nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and kaimahi hauora provide us with care and expertise at the most critical moments of our lives.

The 30,000 New Zealand Nurses Organisation members who work for our 20 DHBs have been in multi-employer collective agreement negotiations since May 2020.

The DHBs have failed to make an offer that would mean these staff are paid the real value of their work or to ensure safe staffing in the public hospitals and DHB facilities that our very lives rely on. We are calling on Minister of Health Andrew Little, on behalf of the Government of Aotearoa New Zealand, to take this opportunity to justly recognise the contribution of the nursing profession and enhance its attractiveness to help avert a staffing crisis. We call on Minister Little to intervene to ensure the future of our public hospitals and DHB facilities, and our wider nursing workforce.

He waka eke noa me te hauora me to ora. We are all in this together for health and wellbeing.