NZ Union Strikes July 2025
Read on for a summary of ER events.
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7 Jul
PSA members at Pharmac, including health economists, Māori health experts, and medical practitioners, will hold the agency’s first-ever strike on Wednesday, 9 July from 10:30–11:30am. The action follows Pharmac’s pay offer of just 0.2% and proposed cuts to employment conditions, including step pay progression and redundancy eligibility.
FA – A low pay offer and cuts to employment conditions triggers the strike
9 Jul
Foodstuffs confirmed 180 jobs at Victoria Park’s New World supermarket will be disestablished following a major fire three weeks ago. The company has extended the redundancy timeframe to give staff more time to secure new roles. First Union reported that employees will be paid until 4 August and that 80 positions are available at Pt Chevalier New World, with 100 more across 14 North Island stores. The Victoria Park store is expected to remain closed for about two years due to extensive fire damage.
11 Jul
More than 36,000 nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants, and kaimahi hauora employed by Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) initiated a nationwide 24-hour strike. This unprecedented action was driven by ongoing concerns over understaffing and inadequate pay offers, which union representatives argue compromise patient safety and the quality of care.
Health NZ has offered 3% over two years, plus two payments od $325.
The key issues:
FA – No resolve in sight as nurses continue their fight
14 Jul
More than 1,000 PSA members at ACC will strike in response to a pay offer leaving over 160 workers below the living wage.
The strike begins with a one-hour withdrawal from 11am to noon on Wednesday 16 July, with further action planned for 6 August.
ACC and the PSA entered mediation on 14 July.
FA – PSA has had their hands full with ongoing disputation across NZ
Around 800 NZEI Te Riu Roa members, including speech language therapists, early intervention teachers, occupational therapists, psychologists, and kaitakawaenga, will strike for two hours from 10am on Tuesday 22 July. Pickets will take place at the Ministry’s Wellington HQ and other offices nationwide.
The strike follows collective agreement offers the union says fail to address staffing shortages, long waiting lists, and excessive overtime. Service managers and field staff will begin working to rule the following day, limiting hours and pausing new assessments.
FA – Education and health sectors remain in turmoil with the government. No end insight!
16 Jul
After six months of strike action, 500 Awanui laboratory workers and APEX Union members have ratified new collective agreements. The deal includes a 9.2% salary increase over the next year, with an immediate 6% rise. The agreement begins closing the 25–30% pay gap between Te Whatu Ora and private lab staff by roughly one-third.
APEX continues bargaining for laboratory staff in Auckland with Awanui, and in Gisborne, Whanganui, and Palmerston North with Medlab Central.
FA – After many months of strike action lab workers achieved a 9.2% salary increase
21 July
Over 1,110 Kmart Workers First Union members have ratified a new two-year collective agreement. Key provisions include:
96% of members voted to approve the agreement.
FA – Kmart union members achieve an outstanding deal.
The New Zealand Defence Force is cutting 255 civilian roles as part of a restructure, following an initial proposal in March that projected a net loss of 370 roles. The restructure will see 281 filled roles disestablished while 276 new positions are being created, leaving a net loss of five filled roles.
FA – Defence force cutting roles
22 July
Over 2,000 Ministry of Education workers, including speech language therapists, psychologists, and policy and admin staff, took part in a two-hour nationwide strike on Tuesday.
Key issues:
Urgent mediation with NZEI is being scheduled, and discussions with PSA are ongoing.
FA – Education specialists offered a 1% rise. The result a nationwide strike, with more to come.
Other Articles
24 July
The New Zealand Professional Firefighters’ Union (NZPFU) has rejected Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s (FENZ) latest pay offer of 5.1% over three years. About 99% of members who attended meetings voted against the offer and in favor of industrial action.
Firefighters have not received a pay increase since July 2023, and union leaders say the offer fails to address cost-of-living pressures, health and safety concerns, or issues with the state of urban fire appliances.
Bargaining has been ongoing since mid-2024, and union representatives say members are seeking a fair pay increase along with measures to ensure safe, reliable equipment.
FA – After negotiating for 1 year we are going to strike
The Restaurant Association’s latest remuneration survey shows modest wage growth in New Zealand’s hospitality sector, with the average hourly rate rising to $27.84, up 2.54% from last year. Salaried roles averaged $83,415. Key roles include bar managers ($32.20/hr), baristas ($26.91/hr), breakfast chefs ($29.23/hr), head chefs ($36.81/hr), and general managers ($44.85/hr). The minimum wage is $23.50. Skilled roles such as sommeliers and pastry chefs remain around $30/hr, indicating little financial return on training.
FA – the wages seem low and reflect the fragile state of the hospitality sector due to the overall economic stagnation.
The Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) has rejected a government pay offer of 1% per year for three years, totaling a 3% increase, one of the lowest ever for secondary teachers. This is well below previous settlements, including 14.5% over three years via arbitration in 2023 and around 10% in 2019. The offer also proposed increasing required workdays outside term time from 10 to 20
FA – A 3% pay offer over 3 years is the lowest ever for teachers. Its a grim story !
30 July
On Wednesday, 30 July 2025, over 36,000 nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants, and kaimahi hauora employed by Te Whatu Ora went on a 24-hour strike from 9:00 AM to 9:00 AM the following day. The strike was organised by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) over unsafe staffing levels and inadequate pay offers. It affected hospitals nationwide, with around 4300 non-urgent operations, appointments, and procedures postponed, elective surgeries delayed, and some outpatient services being affected.
NZNO has planned further industrial action, including a two-day strike on 2 and 4 September 2025 from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM, continuing to push for improved staffing and pay conditions across the healthcare sector.
These actions highlight the ongoing challenges faced by New Zealand’s healthcare workforce, including understaffing and financial pressures, which have led to significant disruptions in hospital services and patient care.
FA – The sorry saga of our public health sector continues. One gets the sense that the Ministry of Health have no plan. We are not far off from total collapse. Cutting, reducing, overworking, not paying – is disabling the once proud NZ public health service. Could it be that the overarching strategy is one of “let it disintegrate” and promote moving to a private Health Services.
Other Articles:
https://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/369403-about-2500-tauranga-and-rotorua-nurses-to-strike.html
31 July
On Thursday afternoon, nearly 20 McDonald’s workers at the Basin Reserve restaurant in Wellington staged a one-hour strike from 3 pm to 4 pm. They were protesting for a new collective agreement after their previous two-year deal expired, rejecting the company’s latest pay offer, which they said fell below inflation.
The strike aimed to secure better wages, with workers saying they have been underpaid for years. Despite the protest, the restaurant remained open with reduced staff. The company stated it is in ongoing bargaining with Unite Union and will continue negotiations in good faith.
Disclaimer: Fred A’s comments are solely his personal opinion and should not be viewed as factual or as an authoritative commentary in regard to any published article, individual and organisation.
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Image Credit : Photo: Unite Union Facebook
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