It is one of the oldest organisations of this type in the world, tracing its lineage back to the Wellington Private Nurses Association formed in 1905.
After the collective bargaining agreement between the NZNO and the district health boards expired, nurses raised a number of concerns to be addressed in negotiations.
David Wait, a lead NZNO advocate, stated that the proposal contained "less than a tenth of what nurses have asked for" and that it would "entrench highly pressurised working conditions fuelled by unsafe workloads and under-staffing.
[8] The government did not disclose the percentage of the pay raise, but stated that the deal would cost $408m and last 27 months, as well as including commitments to settle the pay equity claim, a ministerial review of the Safer Staffing Accord, and the launch of a recruitment campaign to fill around 1500 nursing vacancies in the country.
[9] On 29 July, however, NZNO members voted to reject the offer, setting strike action for 19 August and 9 September.