APEX Union have announced their members in Whangarei, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, and the South Island will take industrial action (strike) on February 5 and 7, 2025. The strike is a full withdrawal of labour, which means APEX Union members who work in the laboratory, collection centres, and logistics and support staff (in some regions), will strike on these days.
As these dates fall either side of Waitangi Day, most of our services across the South Island will be closed, with no routine services available across the three-day period (5-7 February). All regions will have life preserving services.
Our teams are working closely with Health NZ to manage the impacts to hospital services and the wider health sector. Priority will be ensuring those who are seriously ill still receive the critical, life preserving services they need.
All collection centres are closed on Thursday 6 February for the Waitangi Day public holiday. Please click on your region below for more information on what services are impacted on February 5 and 7.
Nelson region
Collection Centres:
| Hospital Ward rounds | Unavailable |
| Collingwood Collection Centre | Closed |
| Nelson Hospital Collection Centre | Closed |
| Tahunanui Collection Centre | Closed |
| Richmond Collection Centre | Closed |
| Motueka Collection Centre | Closed |
| Home Visits | Unavailable |
- Life preserving collection services:
- For practices that cannot provide their own collection between 0730- 1630 – please call 0272577920
- Routine Courier Services: UNAVAILABLE
- Life preserving services only – between 0830 – 1700. Please call 027 2213856
- Specimen Collection:
- We ask that you do not collect or send in your own specimens during this time. Only life preserving requests will be accepted.
- Please plan for these dates and do not hold clinics between 5 and 7 February that will need any type of laboratory testing sent in, including HPV, immigration, histology, and sexual health clinics.
- Laboratory Services:
- Life Preserving Services only.
- Microbiology Services:
- Due to the prolonged nature of microbiology work, including urines, faeces, sputum, swabs, aspirate. routine microbiology samples cannot be sent to the laboratory and will not be processed from Monday 3 February to Friday 7 February.
- Normal services will continue Monday 10 February.
- If you need to contact a clinical microbiologist, you can do so by using our new instant, secure, online clinical portal that provides direct access to Awanui clinical microbiologists. Connect here.
Life Preserving Services:
The Code defines Life Preserving services to mean:
- Crisis intervention for the preservation of life;
- Care required for therapeutic services without which life would be jeopardised;
- Urgent diagnostic procedures required to obtain information of potentially life-threatening conditions;
- Crisis intervention for the prevention of permanent disability;
- Care required for therapeutic services without which permanent disability would occur;
- Urgent diagnostic procedures required to obtain information on conditions that could potentially lead to permanent disability.
Marlborough region
Collection Centres:
| Hospital Ward rounds | Unavailable |
| Maxwell Road Collection Centre | Closed |
| Wairau Hospital Collection Centre | Closed |
| Picton Collection Centre | Closed |
| Home Visits | Unavailable |
- Life preserving collection services – for practices that cannot provide their own collection between 0730- 1630 – please call 027 208 3240
- Routine Courier Services: UNAVAILABLE
- Life preserving community services only – between 0830 – 1700. Please call 027 2302645
- Specimen Collection:
- We ask that you do not collect or send in your own specimens during this time. Only life preserving requests will be accepted.
- Please plan for these dates and do not hold clinics between 5 and 7 February that will need any type of laboratory testing sent in, including HPV, immigration, histology, and sexual health clinics.
- Laboratory Services: Life Preserving Services only.
- Microbiology Services:
- Due to the prolonged nature of microbiology work, including urines, faeces, sputum, swabs, aspirate. routine microbiology samples cannot be sent to the laboratory and will not be processed from Monday 3 February to Friday 7 February.
- Normal services will continue Monday 10 February
- If you need to contact a clinical microbiologist, you can do so by using our new instant, secure, online clinical portal that provides direct access to Awanui clinical microbiologists. Connect here.
Life Preserving Services:
The Code defines Life Preserving services to mean:
- Crisis intervention for the preservation of life;
- Care required for therapeutic services without which life would be jeopardised;
- Urgent diagnostic procedures required to obtain information of potentially life-threatening conditions;
- Crisis intervention for the prevention of permanent disability;
- Care required for therapeutic services without which permanent disability would occur;
- Urgent diagnostic procedures required to obtain information on conditions that could potentially lead to permanent disability.