“We’re spending all the taxpayers’ money subsidising the training of New Zealand doctors, and then they get to the end of that 10-12 years of training, and then if they become a consultant in New Zealand, their salary is nowhere close to what they can get going to Australia.”
Last week, Te Whatu Ora chief people officer Andrew Slater said they had received strike notices for September 5, 13 and 21.
Slater said Te Whatu Ora had made a fair offer, “and we’re disappointed it has not been accepted”, but it respected union members’ right to strike.
“We will continue to work with ASMS towards agreeing a settlement and to see if the strike can be averted,” Slater said.
“In the meantime, contingency planning is under way to ensure safe and appropriate care for patients in the event action does go ahead.”
He said Te Whatu Ora’s offer would see all senior doctors get a $15,000 to $26,000 pay increase and a lump sum of about $4000.
Te Whatu Ora Whanganui has been approached for comment.
The Medical Council workforce survey report estimated 41.2 per cent of New Zealand’s senior medical workforce consisted of international medical graduates.
Van De Vyver said the gap between what New Zealand and Australia was paying doctors was only going to get wider.
“People graduating here and finishing their specialisations with $100,000 in debt - why would you not go overseas? When you can earn double the amount in Western Australia?
“We’d never expect New Zealand and Australia to get equal pay because the GDPs are different, but the problem is the gap is getting wider and wider.”
Van De Vyver said he was now earning $220 less each fortnight than he was three years ago due to him being in the highest tax bracket and his salary increases not meeting inflation.
“We’re understaffed all over the place and doctors are being asked to do more, but then they won’t even be compensated for that.”
“The system’s been relying on doctors’ goodwill because a lot of doctors’ aren’t money-orientated, but they also don’t want to speak up because they don’t want to seem greedy.
“It’s just not fair.”
Data from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists showed the highest step of pay in New Zealand for a senior medical officer was $250,560, or $229,872 in Australian dollars.
In New South Wales, the starting pay step for a senior medical officer was $252,285.00.
Van De Vyver said all patients in urgent need of care would be seen on the day of the strike.
The senior doctors’ strike is scheduled to take place on September 5.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
