South Canterbury and Southland NZNO members employed by Te Whatu Ora will tomorrow (Wednesday 11 December) strike for four hours over patient safety concerns following recent collective bargaining with Health NZ.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) members fear Te Whatu Ora’s plans to pause a key component of its safe staffing programme put patient and whānau safety and wellbeing at risk.

South Canterbury delegate and spokesperson Krystal Munro says it is important health care should be safe for patients as well as staff.

"We are striking for the future of health care workers as more needs to be done to prevent nursing from becoming less attractive as a profession.

"Nurses like everyone else deserve recognition for the hard work they put in," Krystal Munro said.

NZNO Southern district delegate and spokesperson Linda Smilie says she’s been fighting for safe staffing levels since she became a nurse 20 years ago.

"Nurses are exhausted and facing burnout. We are frustrated we can’t give patients the care they need because we don’t have enough staff.

"We become nurses because we care about people and we want to be able to do that safely," Linda Smillie says.

NZNO’s previous media release about the strikes can be found here.

There will be interview, photograph and video opportunities for media tomorrow.

Timaru

WHEN: Wednesday 11 December 2024

WHERE: At the tennis court gardens beside the Timaru Hospital on Queen Street. There will be a sausage sizzle.

TIME: from 1.15pm

Dunedin

WHEN: Wednesday 11 December 2024

WHERE: Museum Reserve, 363 Great King Street, Dunedin North, Dunedin

TIME: 1pm-5pm

Media contact: Danya Levy 027 431 2617 danya.levy@nzno.org.nz

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