Strikes in the Health Sector and funding planning w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 15th July, 2025

Last week Pharmac workers announced their first-ever strike over cuts to annual pay increases and deteriorating work conditions. Also last week, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation announced plans to strike on July 30th. The nurses' strike follows concerns around understaffing and overcrowding, with many staff members facing burnout. 

These two issues have been attributed to similar causes - not enough funding in the health sector, which is forcing redundancies, increased hours, and understaffing. While the government has committed extra funding to the health sector in the last two budgets, critics say the funding is inadequate and barely catching up to existing deficits. 

In our weekly catch-up with the National party, Wire host Castor asked Tom Rutherford about health funding and the government’s plans moving forward in light of the two recently announced health workers' strikes.