More than 100,000 New Zealand teachers, nurses, doctors, firefighters and support staff have walked off the job demanding more money and resources for the public sector in a sign of growing discontent with the government.
Public servants marched with placards and banners in towns across New Zealand, chanting and listening to speeches. Protests in Wellington and Christchurch had to be cancelled because of dangerous weather conditions.
The unions in a joint statement billed the strike as the largest in decades with more than 100,000 public servants taking part.
Middlemore Hospital emergency doctor and Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Vice President Sylvia Boys told the crowd at Aotea Square in Auckland the government had been elected on promises to reduce the cost of living whi