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By Mary Longmore
May 8, 2026
NZNO’s bargaining team members say they have fought hard in the room — now it is up to members to decide whether to accept Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ (HNZ)’s latest offer.
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:
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.
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Photo by Fin Ocheduszko-Brown at Whanganui Chronicle
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