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The Public Service Association (PSA), representing 25,000 Health NZ workers, has filed legal action with the Employment Relations Authority to halt widespread job cuts at the agency.
The proceedings were filed on 12 February and seek an urgent hearing to stop dismissals, particularly targeting the planned elimination of 1,100 roles in the data and digital directorate, along with cuts to the National Public Health Service and the Pacific directorate.
The PSA argues the restructuring is rushed, inaccurate, and violates collective agreements, warning of risks to patient safety.
Speaking to state-funded legacy media, Acting National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons condemned the cuts as a “radical dismantling” of New Zealand’s public health system, stressing the impact on both workers and patient care.
Health NZ’s interim chief HR officer, Fiona McCarthy, defended the agency’s restructuring as a necessary reset to improve frontline services, while the government continues its broader effort to reduce public sector spending under its “Back Pocket Boost” tax plan.
This article was originally published by the Daily Telegraph New Zealand.
