Source: Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi
More than 400 scientists, technicians, and support workers at the New Zealand Institute of Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science)- will strike from 8am to 12pm tomorrow (Tuesday 4 August) to oppose their employer attempting to change its step-based pay system to entirely performance-based pay.
Workers will rally for an hour from 11am to 12pm on picket lines at PHF Science sites in Mt Albert (Auckland), Kenepuru and Wallaceville (Wellington), and Ilam (Christchurch).
“Performance pay doesn’t make for more effective workers, and it doesn’t accurately reflect performance,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi. “It can introduce unconscious bias and contribute to gender and ethnic pay gaps.”
“Getting rid of performance pay in the first place was a hard-won breakthrough for these workers. They do not want to go back to a blunt instrument that doesn’t belong in public science or public services.”
The workers going on strike include those who do research on public health that informs Government decisions, test wastewater for drugs, track the spread of infectious diseases, help ensure safe food and water, and do crime scene forensic investigation for the Police.
“The last time PHF Science had performance-based pay, its workers were some of the lowest paid in the science sector,” said Fitzsimons. “Sometimes these workers were not reaching the midpoint of their pay band after 10 to 15 years of service.”
Additionally, PHF Science is offering a 0% cost-of-living increase, which means three-quarters of the lowest-paid workers (earning $60-$100k) will get no guaranteed pay increase at all in the next year.
“In the middle a cost-of-living crisis, these workers are being asked to go backwards while doing essential work for the entire nation,” said Fitzsimons. “This is the latest episode in the rolling disaster that is the Government’s reforms to the science sector.”
“After months of uncertainty and botched changes, the Government’s new institute wants to make its pay system less equitable without even increasing wages to keep up with the cost of living. No wonder so many skilled science workers are giving up on New Zealand altogether and moving overseas.”
“PHF Science must come to the table with a fair offer, and the Government must admit its science sector reforms are a failure, and fund the sector so it can pay its workers fairly.”
What: Picket line rallies for PHF Science strike
When: 11am-12pm, Tuesday 4 August
Where:
- 120 Mt Albert Road, Sandringham, Auckland
- 66 Ward Street, Wallaceville, Upper Hutt
- 34 Kenepuru Drive, Kenepuru, Porirua
- 27 Creyke Road, Ilam, Christchurch
PHF Science came into being as a Public Research Organisation on 1 July 2025, replacing the former Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), as part of the Government’s science sector reforms.
More on the Government’s science sector reforms:
- Callaghan debacle: 176 science workers left hanging as Govt botches its own policy (12 June 2026)
- Underfunding Our Future: The Human Face of the Science Cuts (Save Science Coalition report, 16 April 2026)
- Govt. science jobs exodus ramps up – 134 jobs going at new bioeconomy institute (27 February 2026)
- Science funding change raises fresh concerns about jobs and research independence (14 October 2025)
- One day’s notice shows rushed approach to gutting New Zealand’s science funding (19 August 2025)
- Govt kept secret cuts to science funding to finance new Applied Tech Institute (6 August 2025)
- New Zealand’s ability to monitor geohazards weakened by science job cuts (12 June 2025)
- Govt must re-employ science staff about to be axed from Callaghan Innovation (5 February 2025)
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.