Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister David Clark at Parliament after the nurses' pay deal was signed off. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has welcomed the nurses' signoff on their pay deal, saying while not everybody would be happy with it, it was an "historic deal".
Ardern – who gave birth at Auckland Hospital during the negotiations period - said it had been a personally important and challenging negotiation.
She acknowledged that not all nurses would be completely happy with the offer, but described it as historic.
"I am hugely grateful we eventually got to a place where the nurses have accepted the offer that has been made. While I know there will be some who think we haven't gone far enough, and I understand that, this is an historic deal both in terms of size and I would also say in terms of quality.
"There is more work to do and I want to put emphasis on that. We as a Government are committed to addressing the concerns that still exist over time."
She said it was double what was on offer from the previous government, would deliver 500 more nurses, introduce new pay steps and three pay increases over the next 18 months.
