NZ Industrial Strikes September 2025
Read on for a summary of ER events.
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September 2025 Overview
Compared with previous months, September 2025 saw relatively fewer industrial actions and employment developments. While strikes occurred in the health, education, and media sectors, the overall number of new disputes or major announcements was lower than in August 2025, when widespread coordinated strikes and pay negotiations dominated the public sector and private workplaces.
2 Sept
On 2 and 4 September 2025, more than 36,000 nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants went on strike for 16 hours each day. The industrial action, organised by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), followed nearly a year of negotiations with Te Whatu Ora over pay, staffing levels, and workload issues. The strike included staff across public and private hospitals nationwide and affected routine appointments and elective services.
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8th September
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2509/S00022/senior-doctors-to-strike-for-48-hours-in-september.htm
Thousands of senior hospital doctors and dentists, represented by the ASMS, staged a 48-hour nationwide strike on September 23–24, 2025, after rejecting a pay offer that would have given most members an annual increase of just 1.16%, below inflation.
The strike disrupted services nationwide, affecting around 13,000 patients, and followed a 24-hour strike in May 2025. ASMS has signaled further action if the dispute remains unresolved.
This strike is part of a wider wave of industrial action in the public sector, including nurses and teachers, with coordinated strikes planned for October 2025.
23 Sept
From 2026, the New Zealand government will change how sick leave and annual leave are accrued for part-time workers. Leave entitlements will be calculated based on actual hours worked, rather than a flat rate. For example, a worker on 20 hours per week will accrue roughly 40 hours of sick leave annually, equivalent to about five full days.
The new system will apply across all sectors two years after the law is passed, except for schools, which will remain on the current system for 5–10 years due to payroll updates. The government plans to introduce a new Employment Leave Bill to replace the current Holidays Act.
29 Sept
Staff at Stuff, a New Zealand media company, went on strike from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch. The strike was in response to what they described as “insulting” pay offers and the company’s plan to split their collective agreement into two divisions: Stuff Digital and Masthead Publishing. Union members opposed the division, fearing it would weaken their collective bargaining power.
Following the strike, Stuff reduced its pay offer for Stuff Digital staff from 2.5% to 2% to align with the Masthead Publishing offer. Additionally, the company announced that any pay increase would only take effect from the date the new agreement was signed, rather than being backdated to 1 July 2025, when the previous agreement expired.
The union has proposed mediation to resolve the dispute. Stuff declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations. Staff are considering further strike action if the dispute is not resolved.
The New Zealand government’s pay offers to teachers in 2025 were met with significant opposition from educators, leading to industrial action across both primary and secondary sectors.
Secondary Teachers (Post Primary Teachers’ Association – PPTA)
In August 2025, the government presented a revised pay offer to secondary teachers, which included:
Despite these adjustments, the offer was deemed insufficient by the PPTA, which argued that it did not adequately address the erosion of teacher pay relative to inflation and the minimum wage over the past 25 years. NZEI Te Riu Roa
Primary Teachers (New Zealand Educational Institute – NZEI Te Riu Roa)
For primary teachers, the government’s offer included:
However, NZEI Te Riu Roa rejected the offer, stating it failed to meet cost-of-living pressures and did not provide the necessary support for staff and students. NZEI Te Riu Roa
These developments have led to coordinated industrial actions, including strikes, as teachers advocate for improved pay and working conditions.
List of Articles
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/572416/education-ministry-roughly-doubles-pay-rise-offer-to-secondary-teachers https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/572445/ppta-recommends-secondary-teachers-reject-improved-pay-offer https://www.nzeiteriuroa.org.nz/about-us/media-releases/primary-teachers-reject-government-offer-to-vote-on-strike https://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/371573-teachers—-strikes–class-cancelled-for-thousands.html
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/573036/secondary-school-teacher-industrial-action-starts
Approximately 800 library staff employed by Auckland Council—including librarians, library assistants and specialists—will receive a pay rise backdated to 1 September 2025. The increase, awarded while the current pay‑equity claim is on hold, is described by the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi (PSA) as “a step towards pay equity.” According to the PSA, the rise amounts to thousands of dollars annually on average per worker in this predominantly female workforce.
 Fred A – the AKL Council has committed to progressing the pay equity claims, and the generous increase ensures a fair wage to all library workers. Regardless of the underhand tactics deployed by central government to scuttle pay equity claims, the PSA is pleased with the fair and balanced approach adopted by the council.Â
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Image Credit : Photo: ETU
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