PHC MECA Bargaining 2024

The Primary Health Care (PHC) MECA covers more than 3500 NZNO members and is the largest collective agreement in the sector. It means members can unite as a large group to win better pay and condition that simply wouldn’t be possible if they were negotiating worksite by worksite. 

We initiated bargaining for the renewal of the PHC MECA on the 17 May 2024. The notice covered 477 employers and around 3475 NZNO members.

This year’s PHC MECA negotiations, as well as our pay equity claim, was about ensuring equal pay for nurses everywhere, regardless of the part of the health system you work in. More information about the Primary Practice and Urgent Care Pay Equity claim, which is separate from the PHC MECA negotiations, can be found at the bottom of this page.

Following member ratification, the new PHC MECA was signed in March 2025.

Primary Practice and Urgent Care Pay Equity claim 2024

Last year nurses directly employed by Te Whatu Ora won their historic Pay Equity campaign, resulting in Aotearoa’s largest Pay Equity settlement ever and big pay rises for nurses. It took years of effort but they eventually won. 

It will take a similar effort and extra Government funding to win Pay Equity in Primary Care, and that’s our goal. It’s simply inequitable that primary care nurses will soon be paid almost 20 percent less than our counterparts in hospitals if we don’t close the gap. 

Member updates for the 2024-2025 negotiations