The NZNO claimed Health NZ’s figure was only for resignations and excluded losses from fixed-term contracts, internal transfers, reduced hours or parental leave.
“The WOC is of the view that the exclusion of these is not reflective of the FTE loss on the floor,” the letter said.
It also referred to a “recruitment shortfall”.
“… A total of 5.7 FTE is currently out for recruitment.
Based on the committee’s calculations, Health NZ still needed to hire 8.8 registered nurses and healthcare assistant FTEs. If 5.7 FTEs were being recruited, that still left a 3.1 FTE shortfall.
“This is just to fill FTEs that have left, not to address the core issue around rostering.”
While night shift rostering in the ED had stayed the same, morning and afternoon shifts in July 2026 were down two RNs and an HCA compared with the same month in 2024, the letter said.
Annual ED presentations increased by 3.57% over the two years from 27,765 to 28,757.
“ED workers have identified what they need to be safe at work, and the immediate demand is a return to the fully staffed July 2024 roster as an interim measure before the FTE calculations are run in January, as well as the work being done on staffing ratios on a national level.”
NZNO delegate and ED nurse Clara Dolman-Tuhou, with two other NZNO representatives, met Barrington on October 14.
That same day, NZNO ED delegates voted to strike for the second time in two months.
“Whether or not they own that, or whether they think that our calculations are correct compared to theirs, or theirs are correct compared to ours, is pretty much moot,” Dolman-Tuhou said.
“Our key concern is simple. In 2024, we had more nurses on the floor; in 2026 we’ve got fewer nurses despite caring for more patients. And we’re just telling them, like, how does this make sense? How can this be considered sustainable or safe for our community?”
The next day, Barrington wrote to the NZNO outlining the next steps.
“We will commit to a customised Tairāwhiti recruitment campaign. This includes posting on LinkedIn.”
Dolman-Tuhou is not convinced.
“Our thoughts on that letter were, ‘Cool, we’re making progress, it’s still not good enough,’” she said. “We need to [return to] that 2024 roster.
“We do appreciate that they have come back with something … but we can’t continue to expect fewer nurses to safely care for these patients. Our community deserves timely, appropriate and safe emergency care.
“Our staff deserve the resources and staffing levels necessary to provide it. It’s just not sustainable.”
In a statement to the Gisborne Herald, Barrington said staffing calculations were “complex”.
She and the WOC discussed the concerns and “both acknowledged that there are differing interpretations of the data”.
“We will continue to review the staffing requirements to ensure we and NZNO have a shared understanding of workforce needs and service requirements.
“I recognise that our Emergency Department, along with all other EDs nationwide, has been under significant pressure this past winter.
“We thank our hard-working ED team for their exceptional commitment to patient care.
“We will continue to work in good faith with NZNO and the WOC to ensure our patients and whānau receive timely care.”