Primary healthcare and Plunket nurses went on strike and held protests across the country on Thursday, where they demanded pay parity with their Health New Zealand colleagues.
It's the first time in 35 years Plunket nurses have gone on strike after more than a year of failed negotiations.
In the Capital, in Christchurch and in Auckland's CBD nurses across aged residential care, general practice, hospices and urgent care - joined forces with their Plunket counterparts to demand pay parity.
"Nurses at the hospital are currently paid 10 percent more than us, can you tell me why?" primary health care nurse Diney Rowe said.
Plunket nurse Chelsea Mitchell said they don't feel appreciated.
"We are a charity and people just aren't seeing their Plunket nurses anymore because we're spread too thin," Mitchell said.
Earlier this month, primary healthcare nurses and Plunket nurses voted overwhelmingly to strike after rejecting a pay offer increase of around three percent.
Further talks have stalled because their employers said their funding from the government needs to be higher to offer more.
"If we were to match the pay parity with Te Whatu Ora, that alone would cost us over $9 million just this year and it's simply just not an affordable solution, we're already underfunded by our government," Plunket chief executive Fiona Kingsford said.
Health Minister Andrew Little said something does need to be done about it and he has been working with the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) to get something over the line.
"There is still a wee way to go to get a solution both in front of employers and the unions but I'm confident we will have something for them soon."
He's promised a solution before the end of the year and no doubt hopes it'll make the not-so-subtle messages of "I want you to chant so loudly that Andrew Little hears you all the way in the Beehive!" - Go away.
