Dear John,

Right Hon Jim Bolger former Prime Minister and Leader of the National Party
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With my National Party colleagues, it is very sad to acknowledge the passin=
g of Rt Hon Jim Bolger, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and long-servi=
ng Leader of the National Party. =C2=A0
=C2=A0
Mr Bolger was born in Taranaki and began his working life in farming and he=
remained a lifelong advocate for rural New Zealand, entering Parliament in=
1972 as the Member for King Country.=C2=A0
=C2=A0
Mr Bolger led the National party from 1986 and achieved a landslide victory=
in 1990 and served as Prime Minister for seven years. His leadership guide=
d New Zealand through a period of change, including the introduction of the=
MMP electoral system and the advancement of Treaty settlements. He deeply =
believed in building a decent and fair society for all.
=C2=A0
Leaving politics in 1998, Mr Bolger went on to be New Zealand=E2=80=99s Amb=
assador to the United States, Chair of New Zealand Post and Kiwibank, and C=
hancellor of the University of Waikato.=C2=A0
=C2=A0
He leaves a lasting legacy within the National Party and the country he led=
with strength and conviction.=C2=A0
=C2=A0
We extend our deepest sympathy to Mrs Joan Bolger, their children, and the =
wider Bolger family at this sad time.

Public Service=C2=A0
=C2=A0
As Public Services Minister I spoke out about the Education and Health work=
ers strikes before they occurred last week, because I believed the Unions w=
ere using their members to make a political point.=C2=A0
=C2=A0
In my opinion the Unions who encouraged public servants to take strike acti=
on let themselves down and more importantly they let the most vulnerable pe=
ople in our society down =E2=80=93 thousands of our children and thousands =
of people and patients with injuries, conditions and illnesses who needed m=
edical attention in the community and in our hospitals.=C2=A0
=C2=A0
None of these vulnerable people will get back those vital hours of waiting =
for medical treatment or support for preparing for exams or learning to rea=
d. =C2=A0Many of them will continue to suffer, especially those who now nee=
d to have medical consultations and procedures rescheduled and who must beg=
in the waiting again.
=C2=A0
Instead of bargaining the PPTA presented a list of demands starting with ac=
tion on Palestine, showing that they were not putting teachers=E2=80=99 nee=
ds for pay and conditions to be revised first at all.
=C2=A0
These were the offers before the PPTA and NZEI unions on 23 October:
=C2=A0
Education Minister Erica Stanford had agreed to an offer for 66 percent of =
trained primary teachers will be paid a base salary of at least $100,000 wi=
thin 12 months of ratification =E2=80=93 up from 40 percent currently.

And for 76 percent of all trained secondary teachers the offer would be pai=
d a base salary of at least $100,000 per annum from 29 October 2025 =E2=80=
=93 up from 60 percent currently. The Union chose to reject these offers.
=C2=A0
These were the offers before the Doctors and Nurses unions on or before 23 =
October:
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Minister of Health Simeon Brown=E2=80=99s offer on behalf of Health New Zea=
land, included an average total remuneration for senior doctors, including =
overtime and allowances, of $343,500. This does not include any work they d=
o in the private sector. They also receive six weeks=E2=80=99 annual leave,=
paid leave for conferences and a fully paid three-month sabbatical every s=
ix years.=C2=A0
=C2=A0
The latest offer would have provided a salary increase of at least 5 percen=
t over two years, with the ability to provide an additional increase for fi=
rst-year specialists. These increases are additional to the $5900 annual st=
ep increase senior doctors receive until they reach the top of the 15-step =
pay scale.
=C2=A0
In addition, a $40 million fund is proposed for distribution to senior doct=
ors to support the workforce with retention and address shortages in hard-t=
o-staff hospitals.
=C2=A0
The average salary for both Senior and Registered Nurses is $125,662, which=
includes overtime, a professional development allowance, and penal rates.
=C2=A0
Under the latest offer, nurses on the top step would have had a 2 percent i=
ncrease in June 2025 - an extra $2135 per year - with another 1 percent inc=
rease in June next year.

I believe we have listened to the unions and made fair offers at the limits=
of the Government=E2=80=99s ability to make affordable settlements.
=C2=A0
I will repeat again that I found the attitude of the Unions to be wholly un=
reasonable as they refused to do their job, which is to meet and negotiate =
with our government department heads and negotiators to reach agreement on =
pay and conditions.
=C2=A0
Unions let our educational and health sector workers down by not bargaining=
in good faith and spreading misinformation about the process. Teachers, pa=
rents and students all deserve better.

It is only by genuine negotiation that settlements are achieved.=C2=A0
=C2=A0
Our Government remains focussed on setting and achieving our targets and we=
will continue to focus the public sector on the efficient delivery of serv=
ices and we will continue driving greater value for taxpayer money. The goo=
d news from this is that the current Government has reduced spending on con=
sultants by about $915m, or 42%, over the government's term, more than doub=
le its savings target of $400m.
=C2=A0
All the best to you and your families,

Judith

Hon Judith Collins KC
MP for Papakura

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=C2=A0
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Thorndon, Wellington 6011
New Zealand
=C2=A0
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nd, then it is a fundraising event with proceeds, after costs, being a dona=
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Authorised by J de Joux, 41 Pipitea St, Wellington.

=C2=A9 2025 | All rights reserved.

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