One of the North Island’s thousands of healthcare workers who has not been paid a night’s pay is funneling money into his son’s bank account even though he has just $2 in his own account.

New Zealand Health Ministry Te Watu Ora (HNZ) is struggling to pay around 5,500 staff in Waikato after problems with payments.

Helen, a health worker at Waikato Hospital, told RNZ that it was embarrassing to have to ask for money, although it was not her last name.

“I had to borrow money to make sure I could get my car out of the parking lot after work this afternoon,” she said.

“I had to call my bank to confirm that the money was not available for the loan, and I had to inform my landlord that I couldn’t pay the rent today because I didn’t have enough money in my account.

“At this point, even if the money doesn’t come in overnight, gas stations are still open, so I’m not 100 percent sure if I’ll be able to go to work tomorrow.”

HNZ blamed the problem on an error in the directory system used to calculate payments.

Robin Shearer, from our people and culture team, said: “This issue has now been resolved and all affected staff will be paid by the end of today.”

“We are confident that we have addressed the root cause and reduced the likelihood that this issue will occur again.”

Herren said staff were informed of the issue in a memo.

“They told us that the time was transferred to their bank around noon today. They expect the money to be deposited overnight,” she said.

“But there is no guarantee that the amount is correct.”

Helen said her colleagues were in similar situations.

“Most of them call their banks and change their mortgage payments and hope they don’t get hit with fees, dishonored payments or loan defaults,” she said.

“I’m feeling incredibly stressed right now.”

She said the pay cut was frustrating, but she loved her job.

“And if I could come here tomorrow, I would definitely go.”

The Public Service Association (PSA) called for an urgent review of HNZ, saying the mistake was a widespread failure.

Approximately half of Waikato’s health workers have been left unpaid.

PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimmons said: “Workers came to work, cared for patients and kept hospitals running. They deserved to be paid on time.”

“Payroll failures of this magnitude are not a minor inconvenience, they cause real hardship.”

Mr Fitzsimmons said an apology from HNZ was not enough and IT failures had become a recurring phenomenon in the public health system.

Health Minister Simeon Brown acknowledged staff who worked through the night to resolve the issue.

“We know this situation is frustrating for those affected and our priority is to resolve the situation so that staff are paid as soon as possible,” he said.

His office said it was awaiting an investigation by New Zealand’s Ministry of Health into how the mistake happened.

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