Signs placed in a corridor within Waitakere Hospital complaining about pay and shortages were removed by staff ahead of a visit by Health Minister Andrew Little, a nurse says.
One nurse, who is also a New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZO) board member, told Newshub it was "frustrating" and that some staffers were "painting the wrong picture for the minister".
A video provided to Newshub that was filmed prior to the signs being removed shows the posters, which have NZNO branding, stuck to the walls of a corridor within Waitakere Hospital.
They asked, "where is our back pay?" and said, "this way to nursing crisis" with a hand pointing down the corridor. Another said: "You are now entering an unsafe staffing area". There were several other signs with similar messages.
"We've heard that the Health Minister Andrew Little is coming to Waitakere Hospital this morning and we have adorned our corridors [with signs]," the individual filming says.
The video ends with footage of an entranceway near the corridor with the signs.
"He will be entering the premises this way. Welcome, Andrew Little."
The Health Minister was at Waitakere Hospital to speak about the Government's decision to increase the number of clinical psychology internships available every year.
Noleen Dayal, a staff nurse at the hospital who is also a union delegate for NZNO and sits on its board, told Newshub: "It was frustrating that some DHB employees are painting the wrong picture for the minister".
"This morning, some union delegates put up signs along the corridor that the minister was supposedly walking down," she said. "Minutes later, one of the nurses saw someone, allegedly security or media liaison person, take these signs down."
Little told Newshub: "I was not made aware at any time of posters being put up or taken down."
In a statement, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand - Waitematā said it supported union members communicating with staff through posters and literature in areas such as staff rooms and on staff notice boards.
"However, it is hospital protocol that such communications do not extend into public spaces such as foyers, corridors and patient care areas where the use of wall space is for the promotion of approved public health messaging (e.g. COVID-19 and influenza protective measures)."
The NZNO has been involved in pay equity negotiations with District Health Boards since 2018 and looked to reach a settlement earlier this year before the union raised concerns it didn't honour a previous agreement of back pay from December 2019. It was later referred to the Employment Relations Authority.
"Our staff are leaving for overseas and retiring at a higher rate than they are being replaced, leaving us in very unsafe staffing conditions," Dayal said. "Please address this minister. Pay us well and we won't leave."
Earlier this year, Little said he was concerned NZNO wasn't putting the settlement to a vote, believing it should be honoured. He said it would add $520 million to the health payroll.
"As the Minister of Health, I am not involved in the process of negotiating this agreement. But I am responsible for the state of the health system, and for the critical job it does for New Zealanders."
Another issue raised by the health sector, including the NZNO, is that nurses are not on the fast-tracked path to residency. Instead, they must work in New Zealand for two years before gaining residency. With a large number of vacancies, the Government's been called upon to change the settings.
Immigration Minister Michael Wood has said the Government is requiring two years of work to ensure migrant nurses stay in the profession once they arrive in the country. However, he's said he's "open" to adjusting the settings if the Government doesn't get the outcome it wants.
Earlier this month, Little announced a suite of measures intended to support recruitment. That included funding for nurses to sit competency assessments to be registered in New Zealand and expanding a programme to support non-practising nurses get back into health roles.
