ED nurse Tracy Chisholm highlights the strain on Waikato hospitals amid nurse walkouts. Photo/ Tom Eley
Waikato nurses have walked off the job this week, warning that unsafe staffing is pushing hospitals to breaking point, Waikato Hospital delegate ED nurse Tracy Chisholm says.
“It is the biggest bugbear.”
On September 2, more than 36,000 nurses from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa were on strike across the country.
They plan to do more on Thursday, outside National Party MP Tama Potaka’s office in Hamilton.
The strike follows one on August 15.
Health New Zealand said the walkout would force the cancellation of an estimated 2251 planned procedures, 3600 first specialist appointments and 8000 follow-up appointments.
Nurses rarely chose to strike, Chisholm said, but they felt it was necessary as hospital conditions, particularly at Waikato, were dire.
“We have had mediation negotiations and, as of Friday, the offer on the table was worse than what was there at the start of the month.
“It was a step backwards.”
Between 3500 and 4000 union members are based in Waikato, although not all were able to strike.
Some were needed in surgery or emergency departments, while others could not afford to lose a day’s pay, Chisholm said.
“We want to be clear: this is about our patients’ safety.”
In relation to the ongoing strikes, Health New Zealand said on May 1, the average salary for a registered or senior nurse was $125,000 a year.
Chisholm rejected this, saying the figure included overtime, required staff to take minimal leave and applied mainly to those working in specialist areas.
“It is very misleading.”
But for Chisholm, it is not about the money.
“I am of the age and situation where the dollar value in my pay packet, I do not need to feed my children or pay my mortgage.
“[For me] It is about staying safe on shift.
She said she would happily forgo the additional pay rise if nursing numbers were improved.
However, Chisholm acknowledged not everyone was in the same situation as her.
Graduate nurses, of whom there are hundreds, were struggling, Chisholm saying they were currently given just two weeks of supervision instead of the six-week orientation previously offered.
“After two weeks, nurses are thrown onto the floor and told to operate at speed – and many aren’t even offered a fulltime job.”
Dr Dale Bramley, Health New Zealand chief executive, said he recognised the “significant contribution” of the nursing workforce in caring for New Zealanders.
“We are absolutely committed to safe care in our hospitals.”
He said Health New Zealand was listening to staff and remained committed to working with the NZNO, insisting bargaining rather than striking was the best way forward.
Bramley said in the two years to March 2025, fulltime nursing staff numbers had increased by more than 3000, while turnover dropped from 13.3% to 8.1%.
“There are now more nurses working in our hospitals than ever before, with over 35,000 across the country.”
He added that clinical outcomes, which are sensitive to staffing numbers, showed patient safety remained stable overall.
“In fact, we are improving on a number of indicators.”
Patient safety measures – including in-hospital deaths, surgical site infections and falls – had stayed steady or improved over the past five years, he said.
“The main risk to patient outcomes is the long waiting lists for elective surgeries and specialist appointments, as well as delays in emergency department care.”
Safe care in busy hospitals relied on a skilled mix of staff, effective delivery, strong clinical judgment and experienced leadership, Bramley said.
“There is no internationally agreed method to determine the exact number of nurses, doctors, mental health professionals, or allied health staff needed each day.
“We have been prioritising recruitment in recent times, and our clinical workforce is growing.”
Bramley said HNZ was working to reduce waitlists and had made progress, but acknowledged the ongoing strike was affecting those efforts.
“We are committed to ensuring the right staff and skills mix are in the right place at the right time to deliver high-quality, safe patient care.”
Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. He previously worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive.