Summarised by Centrist
About 100,000 public sector workers walked off the job in New Zealand’s “mega strike,” one of the largest in the country’s history.
Teachers, nurses, and civil servants demanded higher pay and more investment in health and education. Schools closed and hospitals cut services.
Heavy rain stopped rallies in some areas, but large crowds still gathered in Auckland and other cities. Union leaders said the government had “starved” public services and undervalued frontline workers.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the strike was “politically motivated” and unhelpful. Public Service Minister Judith Collins called it a “stunt” that hurt families and patients.
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said the government had been close to a deal before unions rejected its final offer. “It’s a mystery to me,” he told RNZ. “We resolved every issue and went back to them. They rejected it out of hand.”
A Talbot Mills poll found 65 percent support for the strike, though many coalition voters backed the government’s focus on spending restraint. Business groups warned that big pay hikes could fuel inflation.
Critics say the teachers’ union has blurred the line between advocacy and activism. Matua Kahurangi wrote that the PPTA now behaves like a political campaign group. It opposes the government and sells Toitū Te Tiriti slogans and merchandise online. “It’s a political manifesto disguised as professional development,” he wrote.
Read more over at The Guardian, RNZ, and Matua Kahurangi
Image: Simon Anderson
