The programme is the result of work undertaken by the Labour Inspectorate of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in 2016 which identified issues with District Health Board (now Health NZ Te Whatu Ora) payroll systems and their compliance with the Holidays Act.
These meant that some employees weren’t receiving their correct leave entitlements.
Other organisations, such as Police, discovered similar non-compliance with the act.
Health NZ has since gone through a lengthy and complex process to repay staff and to fix payroll systems, with each region paid at different times because of having different systems.
Last week’s payment brings the total to $663 million paid to current and former Health NZ staff so far.
Kerri Nuku, New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) president and kaiwhakahaere, said the payments were long overdue.
“Nurses have been frustrated by the years-long delays in getting paid what they are owed. Paying staff correctly for the work they perform is a minimum expectation of any employer.
“NZNO continues to work on issues with [Health NZ] such as how to ensure members who work in multiple roles receive their correct entitlement.”
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.
