About 1700 New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) union members from Tauranga and 800 from Rotorua are among the 37,000 set to strike nationwide this week.

The 24-hour strike will begin at 9am on Wednesday if an agreement cannot be reached in last-ditch negotiations scheduled for Monday.

Thousands of procedures and appointments will be postponed nationally if the strike goes ahead, but the NZNO said life-saving services will be maintained.

Health NZ was “disappointed” the union planned to strike when a “reasonable offer” had been made.

NZNO delegate Melissa Jacobsen, who works at Tauranga Hospital, said she was striking for safe staffing and wages.

Jacobsen said nurses were “often” being asked to work 12-hour days to accommodate increasing workloads.

“There just aren’t enough nurses, doctors, healthcare workers or theatres to accommodate the ever-growing number of patients.”

She said patients with broken limbs or “other ailments requiring a theatre” were waiting at home – sometimes for “days” – before returning to hospital for surgery.

“We are often asked to do 12-plus hours of work in an eight-hour workday. And one-off, understaffed days are becoming the norm.”

Jacobsen said she worked in the nurse-led, pre-anaesthetic clinic, where nurses assessed patients who needed general anaesthetic before surgery.

If patients waited longer than six months for their surgery, nurses repeated the assessment, she said.

“It is common and expected to find orthopaedic cases needing two or three of these update assessments.

“Essentially, we are doubling and tripling our workload while these patients are deteriorating waiting for their surgery one to two years down the line.”

Jacobsen disputed Health NZ’s claim of the average registered nurse making $125,000 annually.

At the “top” of the nursing wage scale with an “expert” portfolio, “I do not make nearly that much”, Jacobsen said.

Rotorua Hospital nurse and NZNO delegate Amy Donnell said she was also striking for safe staffing and to keep “our nursing wage as attractive as possible to overseas nurses”.

“They have really helped us in the past and will remain a need for us at the hospital.”

Donnell said union members cared for their patients and did not want to be striking.

“We just want to be heard.”

NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter said Health NZ’s latest offer failed to address concerns about safe staffing.

“Nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants are stretched too thin and can’t give patients the care they need.

“This is heartbreaking for our exhausted members who became healthcare workers because they want to help people.”

Health NZ referred to earlier statements when approached for a response to Jacobsen’s comments.

Health NZ acting chief executive Robyn Shearer had said it was “disappointed” NZNO was striking when a “reasonable offer” was on the table.

The offer meant a new graduate nurse on $75,773 would gain an $8337 (or 11%) pay increase by the end of June 2026, once step progression was included.

About 800 New Zealand Nurses Organisation members at Rotorua Hospital will strike for 24 hours on July 30. Photo / Andrew Warner

A registered nurse on the highest step with a base salary of $106,739 would have their pay increase by $3224 to $109,963 over the same period.

Shearer said the average salary for senior and registered nurses, including overtime, a professional development and recognition programmes allowance, and penal rates, was $125,662.

Health NZ acknowledged nurses’ hard work, but it was operating “within tight financial constraints”.

“We believe further bargaining is the best way forward to resolve outstanding issues and avoid the disruption to patients of costly strike action.”

About 1700 New Zealand Nurses Organisation members at Tauranga Hospital are striking for 24 hours, starting at 9am on July 30. Photo / George Novak

Health NZ estimated 4300 planned procedures and specialist appointments would have to be postponed because of the strike.

All impacted patients would be contacted directly by hospital staff. Deferred appointments would be rescheduled for the next available opportunity.

Hospitals and emergency departments would remain open during the strike.

People with non-urgent ailments or injuries should first contact their GP.

Health NZ chief executive Dr Dale Bramley said while contingency planning for the strike was ongoing, it was focused on progressing talks with the union to avert the strike.

A bargaining meeting with NZNO was scheduled for Monday.

“We are committed to reaching agreement with the union so the strike notice can be lifted and avoid disruption to patients waiting for planned care and specialist appointments.”

Bramley said since 2011, the top salary step of a registered nurse covered by the NZNO collective agreement increased by 73.95%.

Turnover in the nursing workforce had decreased from 14% in December 2022 to 8.6% in December 2024.