ASMS SECA 2026-2027

Union: Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS)
Employer: Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Term: 1 January 2026 to 31 January 2027 cl. 10.2 — replaces the agreement that expired 31 August 2024.
Coverage: Registered medical or dental practitioners employed by Health NZ whose duties include the practice of medicine or dentistry and who must hold a current practising certificate — other than house surgeons, house physicians and registrars. Applies to ASMS members. cl. 5.1, 5.2

How pay moves

• Ordinary hourly rate. Annual base salary divided by 2086. cl. 11.8
• Job size. Full time is an agreed job size of 40 ordinary hours a week. Actual annual salary is the ordinary hourly rate multiplied by the hours in the agreed job size for a full year. cl. 12.1, 12.3, 13.2
• Placement. Initial placement on the scale is negotiated between the prospective employee and employer, taking into account years of relevant experience and qualifications and aligning with the placement of existing staff with similar qualifications and experience. The date the employee met the requirements for vocational registration (or overseas equivalent) is used to assess where they would first have been placed. cl. 12.2(a)
• Advancement. Advancement through the scale is annual, subject to satisfactory performance. An employee not notified in writing of any performance concern before their due date advances automatically. cl. 12.2(b), 12.2(c)
• Overseas placement. A doctor employed on the basis that their overseas qualifications and experience meet the requirements for vocational registration is placed on the Specialist Scale, subject to a time-limited expectation (not less than 24 months) for obtaining registration. cl. 12.2(g)(iii)
• Pre vocational placement. A doctor who has not yet met the requirements for vocational registration but is expected to within 12 months is placed on the Medical Officer Scale at a step not less than the step closest in value below Specialist Step 1. cl. 12.2(g)(iv)
• Rmo to mo placement. A medical officer moving from an RMO position is placed on the Medical Officer Scale at the step equal to their registrar years of service, or at least one step above their substantive RMO base salary, whichever is higher. cl. 12.2(g)(v)
• After hours on call. Rostered after-hours on-call duties are paid at time-and-a-half the ordinary hourly rate (double at former Waitemata; triple Step 1 hourly at former Bay of Plenty). cl. 13.3
• Rmo absence premium. Covering the immediate, unexpected absence of an RMO is paid at a premium hourly rate: at least Step 6 of the specialist scale divided by 2,086, multiplied by 2. cl. 13.4