BRIEF

• The healthcare system has been chronically underfunded and unsupported for a number of years. The 2024 Government Budget not only continued this trend but deepened the issue, with hiring freezes across our hospitals and a continued funding shortfall in aged care.
• Those working in healthcare, particularly nurses, healthcare assistants, and care and support workers often bear the initial brunt of these cuts in the form of wages that don’t recognise the value of the work, don’t keep up with the cost of living and often subject workers to long hours, and mental and physical harm.
• The impact of this on the wider community is felt in long wait times for care, financial, physical and mental stress, difficulty accessing care for family members, and worse health outcomes.
• These impacts have been well documented within certain organisations, in particular Te Ohu member organisations NZNO and E tū, who have decided that we cannot keep campaigning in the health system in siloes and must build a platform for the health system we want across civil society and communities.
• This also links into conversations and meetings that have been held in the Decent Work Committee in previous years within Te Ohu, where care workers have shared their experiences of the system. Decent Work remains a pillar of Te Ohu’s focus, even though it has not been active in recent months.
• Conversations have also been held informally with the PSA and ASMS.
• This listening campaign will consist of table talks, worksite meetings, relational meetings, and other culturally relevant forms of meeting for our community.
• The healthcare system is big - it will take time to understand the issues facing our communities. We propose at least 1 year of a listening campaign, with issues being identified along the way as well as potential actions, towards a healthcare system platform that can be proposed in 2026 at the general election, and a multi year strategy to realise this platform.
• As well as this, we hope to identify new worker, faith and community leaders who can champion a proactive vision for the health system, and to build relationships across these leaders, their respective communities, and support them into leadership.
• As well as this, there are organisational benefits to Te Ohu Tāmaki as well:
  • Potential new member organisations who are interested in supporting this kaupapa.
  • A broadening of our position from “that housing group” towards a true multi-issue alliance.
  • Reaching out into new communities whose interest aligns with the housing system.
  • Building new leaders.
  • Putting Te Ohu at the forefront of community voice and advocacy for workers in the health system, as we have begun to do in housing.

It's time to fix employment in our health and care system. We are launching a 1 year listening campaign on Decent Work in the Health and Care system. It will begin with workers themselves and their stories, and building these workers into effective representatives and leaders. Then they will take the reins of listening and education into the wider community to build consensus around systemic changes for their sector.