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Health Employment – New Zealanders say patients at risk because of nurse shortages – NZNO

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Most New Zealanders – 83% – believe patient safety is at risk because there are not enough nurses, new polling by Talbot Mills Research has found.
The polling commissioned by Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO and released today in full, also found 94% of New Zealanders believe it is important to address staff shortages in the health sector. The poll of 1020 people also found only a third believe the Government values and listens to nurses.
More than 37,500 of NZNO’s Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora are in the second week of a fortnight of strike actions to highlight unsafe staffing levels throughout the public health system. The actions follow stalled collective agreement negotiations.
NZNO delegate and Rotorua emergency nurse Lyn Logan says since the beginning of last week, NZNO’s Te Whatu Ora members have been refusing to be redeployed away from their patients.
“Te Whatu Ora has become reliant on the goodwill of nurses, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora to leave the specialist care they do in their own wards and be moved around the hospital to cover roster gaps caused by chronic short staffing. They often work 12-hour shifts after picking up additional hours to plug the gaps.
“These roster gaps are a direct result of Te Whatu Ora’s recruitment freeze. They are putting patients at risk, and they are completely preventable.
“Emergency Departments (EDs) are almost always short-staffed. If they are lucky enough to get additional help, it's from ward nurses who are then working at short notice in busy and unfamiliar settings with trauma and acutely unwell patients.
“Sadly, this is not new. It is a practice that Coroner Ian Telford recently raised concern about following the 2020 death of Taranaki man Len Collett. The Coroner also found Taranaki Base Hospital ED now has 15 FTE nurses fewer than it did on the busy evening Len Collett died.
“Te Whatu Ora was warned by the Coroner that ‘consciously deciding’ to under-resource is creating a high risk of ‘another catastrophic event’. Yet almost 40 days of bargaining later, hospitals remain chronically short-staffed and vacancies are still not being filled.
“It is time for enforceable safe staffing nurse to patient ratios now,” Lyn Logan says.
Notes:
From Monday 17 to Sunday 30 November, more than 37,500 NZNO Te Whatu Ora members will only perform their duties and shifts as set out in their rosters. They will not accept:
  • Being redeployed to other areas.
  • Changes to their duties or shifts.
  • For the week of Monday 24 to Sunday 30 November they will not accept:
  • Proposed amendments to their rosters.
  • This action will occur at every place in New Zealand where Health New Zealand provides health services and/or disability support services.
  • As always, NZNO members will provide Life Preserving Services as agreed between NZNO and Te Whatu Ora.
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Health Employment – OIA Data reveals Health NZ delaying recruiting for vacant roles – PSA

Source: PSA

– Health NZ taking up to 30 weeks to approve starting a recruitment process
– The delays are in addition to the time it takes to do the recruitment
– Wellington data a snapshot of what’s happening nationally as health funding squeezed
Official Information Act data released to the PSA shows Health NZ is taking months to approve starting a recruitment process for vacant clinical roles in the Wellington region.
In some cases, it took up to 30 weeks for management to approve a hiring process for critical vacant frontline roles. These included medical imaging technologists who operate x-ray, CT and MRI equipment, roles vital for patient diagnosis and treatment.
“This is a disturbing snapshot of the staffing crisis health workers tell us is being replicated across the country, compromising patient care and putting workers under severe stress,” said Fleur Fitzsimons National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Mahi.
“All this can be sheeted home to the Government choosing to squeeze funding for the public health system while giving landlords tax relief.”
“This data alone explains why New Zealanders are having to suffer ever increasing waiting lists and slower treatment. It all comes down to the Government failing to invest in the health system New Zealanders need.”
The roles are from all over the health system, including radiographers, administrative staff, oral health therapists, doctors, nurses, and healthcare assistants – all key jobs that keep the health system working for patients 24/7 (see attached spreadsheet).
According to the OIA release, which covers the period from March to May 2025, there were 219 recruitment requests in the Capital & Coast District that took over two months to be approved.
Ninety-one of those vacant roles waited over 20 weeks for approval for recruit, and as of last month, 45 of the roles that were applied for in March have still not been filled.
“Dozens of teams across Wellington are waiting months for their recruitment request to just be approved internally, let alone filled.
“It’s understandable if recruitment is delayed because of labour market conditions, or because it’s difficult to find a specialist professional, but ultimately this shows it comes down to Health NZ being forced to stretch its budget and slow down recruitment.
“Allowing such long-standing vacancies in so many areas of the health system is a recipe for burnout and eventually, even higher vacancy rates as staff quit for overseas hospitals where their skills are valued.
The delays in recruitment mean there is not safe staffing levels which is a key reason over 17,000 health workers represented by the PSA – including allied health staff, mental and public health nurses, and policy, knowledge, advisory and specialist workers – will strike again this Friday 28 November for four hours.
“Workers are sick and tired of being ignored and must again send a loud and clear message to the Government that it must listen to their concerns and make patient care a priority. Enough is enough.”
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health care and community groups.
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Tech and Business – NZ business embracing AI but missing customer connections – InternetNZ

Source: InternetNZ

New Zealand small businesses could be missing out on connections with customers, new research from InternetNZ finds.
The 2025 .nz research surveyed businesses and consumers to get a snapshot of how New Zealanders use the Internet to run, or engage with, businesses.
The research found that nearly half of businesses, 47 percent, don’t have a website. This number is even lower for sole traders, with just one in four having a website.
“I understand the thinking,” says InternetNZ GM Customer and Product Tim Johnson.
“You’re just a one or two person operation, and most of your customers come through word of mouth so why would you need a website?
“The problem is, that’s not how your potential customers see it,” says Johnson.
Nearly three-quarters of the individuals surveyed said a business or organisation’s website is the most important tool for engagement.
More than half of consumers surveyed see a website’s usefulness in providing a means for online sales – but only a third of businesses see it that way.
“It’s potentially resulting in missed connections,” says Johnson.
“There’s a heavy reliance, especially for small businesses, on social media. But this research shows people are using social media less, and the last World Internet Project report found most people think social media makes the world a worse place – it’s not necessarily the right place to pitch business now.”
InternetNZ is the manager for New Zealand country code top-level domain, .nz – the research also tested perceptions of .nz.
The survey has consistently shown that there is high trust in websites with a .nz address – this year, 74% of businesses and 62% of consumers agreed a .nz domain name is more trustworthy than other domains, such as .com.
“Trust is a really big issue for Internet users right now,” says Tim. “With AI booming, there’s uneasiness about what’s legit and what’s not. Because we have such strong processes in place, people feel confident about websites on the .nz domain.”
The survey also asked about AI use for the first time, and found that while businesses seem to be embracing it, consumers’ use of it varies depending on their age group.
About the research
The research was carried out by Yabble, on behalf of InternetNZ. The last surveys were carried out in 2020 and 2022.
The research focuses on the connections between New Zealand consumers and businesses through various online channels, as well as their awareness, perceptions, and use of domain names.
The 2025 responses were collected using an online survey between July 31 and 21 August. There were responses from 750 businesses of different sizes and locations and 500 consumers, nationally representative of age, gender, ethnicity and location. The results have a +/- margin of error of 3.6% and 4.4% respectively.
This research is focused on business and the .nz brand, and complements the biennial Internet Insights, which takes a broader, community-oriented view on Internet use.
About InternetNZ | Ipurangi Aotearoa
InternetNZ | Ipurangi Aotearoa is the home and guardian of the .nz domain. We're not government-funded – we're an independent, not-for-profit organisation that operates .nz for the benefit of all New Zealanders, reinvesting domain revenue back into the community.
There are more than 750,000 .nz domain names registered.
Like other not-for-profits globally, InternetNZ manages the (often) unseen work that keeps the Internet running. Without it, we would not be able to send emails or access websites ending in .nz. 
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Greenpeace says Government’s war on nature has sparked a powerful nationwide resistance

Source: Greenpeace

Greenpeace says the Luxon Government’s “war on nature” has been met with an unprecedented wave of resistance from tens of thousands of New Zealanders over the two years since the coalition took office.
Today, Greenpeace released a timeline illustrating the scale of public pushback.
“From the moment it was sworn in, this Government launched an all-out assault on the environment,” says Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Dr Russel Norman.
“But just as swiftly, New Zealanders stood up. And they haven’t stopped. The resistance to this Government’s anti-nature agenda has been powerful, determined, and nationwide.”
The timeline covers marches, petitions, occupations, court challenges, submissions, rallies, and acts of civil disobedience that have confronted the Government’s anti-environment agenda.
Dr Norman says the record shows a clear divide between a Government aligned with corporate polluters and a public fighting to defend the places and species that make Aotearoa home.
“People from every walk of life have refused to let this Government sacrifice our rivers, oceans, forests, and climate for corporate gain. They’ve shown courage in pushing back against Fast Track, seabed mining, coal mining, and dangerous nitrate contamination.”
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Serious injury outcome indicators: 2000–2024 – Stats NZ information release

 

This email was sent by Stats NZ, 8 Willis Street, Wellington, CBD 6011, New Zealand to nz@enz.mil-osi.com


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Banking – ASB trims interest rates

Source: ASB

ASB is reducing interest rates across its variable home lending products in response to RBNZ's OCR announcement.

ASB’s Executive General Manager Personal Banking Adam Boyd says “We know that every little bit helps as we head into the holiday period, and the reductions we’ve made to our variable home loan rates should be welcome news to customers.

“We have carefully considered the impact interest rate reductions have for both borrowers and savers. We understand the importance of getting this balance right, particularly when household budgets are under pressure.

“We encourage our customers to talk to us about their savings as there are a range of options, including term deposits and bonus saver accounts, which may help them to save more in this environment, depending on their circumstances.

“It’s important that our lending customers receive the benefit of interest rate decreases as quickly as possible. As rates have dropped, we have significantly improved the time between OCR decisions and when new rates take effect. In the past year, we’ve delivered variable home lending changes within 5 business days on average, twice as fast when compared to the 2021 – 2023 period of OCR changes.”

 

Home Loan

Current Rates 

New Rates 

Rate Change 

Housing Variable 

5.99%

5.79%

-0.20 bps 

Orbit Variable

6.09% 

5.89%

-0.20 bps 

Back My Build 

3.54% 

3.34%

-0.20 bps 

 

 

 

 

ASB’s new variable home loan rates are effective within four business days of the November OCR announcement; for new customers on Friday 28th November 2025, and existing customers on Tuesday 2nd December 2025.

 

Savings 

Band 

Current Rates 

New Rates 

Rate Change 

Savings On Call & ASB Cash Fund*

All Balances 

0.10% 

No change

No change

Savings Plus**

1.80%

1.60%

– 0.20 bps

Headstart*

All Balances

2.00%

1.80%

– 0.20 bps

*These changes are effective from Tuesday 2nd December 2025.

**This change is effective from Monday 1st December 2025.

 

ASB has practical information for customers on the current interest rate environment available on its website as well support to help customers take control of their financial wellbeing and achieve their goals at its Financial Wellbeing Hub: https://www.asb.co.nz/banking-with-asb/financial-wellbeing.html

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Economy Analysis – Time to sit back and watch – Cotality

Source: Cotality, Commentary by Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson

The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee delivered the widely expected 0.25% cut to the official cash rate (OCR) today, taking it down to 2.25%.
An initial read of the commentary and the detailed forecasts suggests a likelihood this will be the final cut in the cycle, with time now for everyone to sit back and watch how the effects play out.

To provide some context around that, the RBNZ expects GDP to have risen by more than 1% over the final six months of this year, with calendar year growth accelerating to around 3% in 2026. Employment is thought to have troughed already, with the unemployment rate set to ease down to 5% over the course of next year. Headline inflation should also drop from here.
The forward track for the OCR itself bottoms out at a quarterly average of 2.20% in Q2 2026, which implies the possibility of a further OCR cut at some stage. But if the ‘green shoots’ strengthen and the economy performs as expected, the chances of that cut seem small. At this stage, the RBNZ doesn’t think there’s much scope for the OCR to rise again until 2027.
In the housing market, today’s rate cut may not make too much difference. After all, many banks had already been lowering fixed mortgage rates in previous weeks(especially for the one-year term) and of course fighting very hard on the recent 1.5% cashback offers.

More generally, given lower financing costs and the prospect of a stronger economy in 2026, there’s a solid case for thinking that property sales activity will continue to rise next year, which is also likely to lead to a degree of growth in house prices too. The RBNZ itself predicts a rise of about 4% in 2026, and there’s no major reason to disagree. It would be a modest lift by past standards, but consistent with the fact we now have debt to income ratio caps.
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Education – Hieke Nelson Principals’ Association Opposes Removal of the Requirement for School Boards to Give Effect to Te Tiriti from Education Legislation

Source: NZ Principals Federation

The Hieke Nelson Principals' Association is strongly opposed to the Government’s decision to remove the requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi within the Education and Training Act 2020.
Our name, Hieke, grounds us in the symbolism of the hieke; the traditional rain cape that offers protection and strength in all conditions. A hieke shields its wearer when the weather turns, providing warmth, safety, and reassurance in the face of uncertainty. Its resilience comes not from a single strand, but from many fibres woven together with care and intention.
In the same way, our collective strength as principals comes from unity; from many cultures, communities, and kura standing together with shared purpose. As a principals’ association, we remain steadfast in our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. In the current climate we stand firm, knowing that Te Tiriti upholds equity, mana, and opportunity for all tamariki.
Together, we form a protective cloak around our learners, our staff, and our communities; unwavering, united, and grounded in our responsibility to do what is right.
Principals across Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay are united in our commitment to continuing to give effect to Te Tiriti in our schools. Te Tiriti is not an optional extra, it is the founding document of our nation and its place should not be left to chance, preference or political cycles. Voluntary board commitments cannot guarantee equity.
Hieke principals agree that removing the requirement from education legislation is a significant backwards step. Our local schools are committed to our partnership with the eight iwi of Te Tau Ihu and will continue to work with them to give effect to Ngā Kawatau me ngā Tūmanakotanga o Te Tauihu, the collective aspirations and expectations of our iwi for education. We urge the government to reverse their decision on the place of Te Tiriti in Education legislation.
Many School Boards have already written to the Minister to express their concern and make public statements to their communities to reassure them that, regardless of this proposal, they would continue to honour Te Tiriti.
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Local News – Final Derek Wootton Memorial Trust funds donated – Porirua City

Source: Porirua City Council

The Derek Wootton Memorial Trust is donating its remaining funds in the most fitting fashion.
The trust was set up following the death of Porirua police officer Derek Wootton, killed in the line of duty on 11 July, 2008. In its first decade alone, the trust raised nearly $120,000 to go towards helping young people achieve their goals, such as course fees at Whitireia.
The trust has generously supported Te Pahi, the Porirua City Community Bus, since Te Pahi was established by Porirua City Council in 2016. The bus has transported school-aged young people to varied places and events across the region, including cross-country meets, Kaitoke Outdoor Education, Zealandia and Parliament, among many others.
The decision has been made to dissolve the Derek Wootton Memorial Trust, however, with its parting gift being the donation of its remaining funds, about $8000, to Te Pahi.
Porirua City Council wishes to thank the trust for its wonderful support of Te Pahi since 2016, allowing tamariki and rangatahi to attend educational and sporting activities within Porirua and across the wider region.
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Economy – The Co-operative Bank leads market with 4.99% floating home loan rate

Source: The Co-operative Bank

The Co-operative Bank has responded to today’s 0.25% Official Cash Rate (OCR) cut by dropping its floating home loan interest rate to 4.99% – a 0.31% cut that continues to put The Co-operative Bank at the lowest widely available floating bank rate in the market.
Chief Executive Mark Wilkshire said “The 4.99% home loan floating bank rate is best in market and affirms our commitment to competitive interest rates for our customer-owners.”
The Co-operative has been offering the lowest home loan floating rate that is widely available to all customers in the market for the last 12 months.
Over the last four years, on both the last OCR rates upcycle and downcycle, The Co-operative Bank has passed on to its floating home loan customers the largest cut to rates on the way down and the smallest increase on the way up.
We are encouraging New Zealanders to select a bank that delivers the service that people should expect from a bank. 
About the Co-operative Bank
We are a New Zealand Co-operative 100% owned by our customers. We are the only bank that shares its profits directly with customers in the form of rebates when we make sufficient profit. Since 2013, we’ve shared over $24 million with customers.
We are also proud members of the B Corp movement which recognises businesses that meet better standards of social and environmental performance.