Nurses have formally declared their intention to strike later this month.
Last week they rejected the latest pay offer by the district health boards and have now told them they will strike for eight hours on 19 August.
At the weekend Health Minister Andrew Little made a direct appeal via video for more strike action to be called off.
Little said he wanted to be very clear that the proposal put to the nurses was one proposed by the unions, so the deal nurses have rejected is one put to them by their own union.
Last month, the Nurses Organisation union (NZNO) agreed to consider the government's pay offer, but it was rejected in a ballot which closed last Thursday.
The NZNO lifted a notice for a 24-hour strike on 29-30 July so members could consider and vote on an amended offer, but strikes planned for 19 August and 9-10 September will go ahead "unless an acceptable offer is made".
NZNO lead advocate David Wait said that while the DHBs had made promising moves on pay, the offer contained "too many ambiguities".
RNZ
