According to tools used to determine safe staffing levels, Canterbury's neurosurgical, emergency and intensive care departments were short dozens of full-time roles.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora who work for Te Whatu Ora say they will continue to bargain hard until their demands to be valued and safe at work .
A Christchurch healthcare assistant says his colleagues are "tired of being disrespected" as tens of thousands of health workers attend union meetings this week.