A coalition promise to "ensure Plunket is funded to do their job properly" was forgotten in Budget 26, NZNO says.
Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO national delegate and Plunket nurse Hannah Cook says Budget 26 papers show the promise was an outstanding commitment between the National and NZ First parties from their 2023 coalition agreement.
"Most newborn babies get their best start in life with assistance from a Plunket nurse. We see about 80% of all newborn babies in Aotearoa New Zealand.
"However, I don’t think anyone would say Plunket has the funding it needs to do our job properly. Whānau Āwhina Plunket runs on the smell of an oily rag. In some parts of the country, local fundraising still supports our services.
"Plunket nurses are paid considerably less than our hospital-based colleagues. This was exacerbated by having our pay equity claim scrapped last year when we were just weeks away from submitting it.
"NZNO calls on the Coalition Government to keep its promise and fund Plunket properly. This would keep nurses from leaving Plunket for better paid hospital jobs and result in more of our pēpē being seen by a skilled and experienced Whānau Āwhina Plunket nurse," Hannah Cook says.