STONZ Collective Agreement

• Registrars on a Vocational training programme receive 12 weeks MEL.

• House Officers PGY2 or more, and Registrars not on a training programme are entitled to a maximum of 5 days per year. Plus an additional one-off three-week (15 days) MEL.

Registrars in a recognised vocational programme who have passed their Part 1 exam or equivalent shall be granted a total of 10 days additional leave to attend appropriate conferences during their vocational training. There is no cap on the amount but districts will apply the actual and reasonable test.

Under the STONZ collective agreement, RMOs are entitled to 6 weeks Annual Leave each year.

If you transfer union membership to STONZ you can transfer your entire sick leave balance. As a member of STONZ, the collective agreement allows for up to 10 days of Sick Leave per year plus an additional 10 days of discretionary sick leave. The first 5 days of discretionary leave are to be approved in the same way normal sick leave is approved. 

As Te Whatu Ora is one organisation all sick leave should be moved when changing districts.

If you are the primary caregiver and have been employed by Te Whatu Ora for more than 12 months you are entitled to take up to 52 weeks leave. If you have been employed for less than 12 months you can apply up to 6 months' leave. 

As the Primary Caregiver you are able to apply for 14 weeks of paid parental leave (the district will pay the difference between the weekly statutory payment and the equivalent weekly value of your base salary.)

As the non-primary caregiver, you are entitled to up to 2 weeks paid leave on your ordinary salary, this is in addition to the 2 weeks unpaid partner leave available under the Act. 

For more information see our Parental Leave page and the Best Practice Parental Leave Guidelines in Appendix 6 of the STONZ Collective Agreement.

This fund is available to all Registrars. This fund of $2000 (before tax) and is accruable up to $6000 is available for each full year of service.

The CME fund has a common anniversary date of the 10th of December each year. If you use this fund to pay for something other than IT equipment and it was purchased in NZ, the district will pay GST. (Note: The common anniversary date will change to 1 February to align with the RMO year from the 2024/2025 year.)

If you purchase IT equipment, the government classifies this as income, and the reimbursement for this will be subject to PAYE tax.

There is a 6-month limit to claim items after the date of purchase. Note, that if you buy something before becoming eligible it will not be reimbursed. This fund can also be used to attend conferences, interview preparation courses, or professional coaching. If you are unsure if an item will be covered please get in touch.

House Officers can now access an additional $500 to aid training. Eligibility is that an RMO must have completed 12 months of service. This grant is to assist with acceptance into a New Zealand or Australasian Training Programme.  

Accessing this fund should be discussed with the relevant educational supervisor or senior medical officer with an understanding of the entry requirements of the particular vocational programme, and should be part of a House Officer’s documented career plan. 

This grant can be claimed for two years ($1000) and can be transferred between districts. It cannot be used to reimburse the purchase of IT equipment or medical/surgical equipment.

As a permanently employed RMO you are entitled to have your APC, ACLS, Indemnity Insurance, your In-practice or Australasian colleges fee’s reimbursed. Membership of Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa is also reimbursed up to $300 per annum. 

Under the STONZ collective agreement, RMOs (PGY2+) not on a training programme will be entitled to the costs pertaining to attending approved courses and events that facilitate their acceptance onto a vocational training programme, subject to support from the appropriate clinical lead and based on the pre-requisites set by the colleges. RMOs on a training program are entitled to actual and reasonable training expenses associated with college requirements. 

Reimbursements of training and employment related expenses should be reimbursed within 4-6 weeks as per the STONZ collective agreement.

Our rostering guidelines are evidence-based and founded on the guidelines for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Australian Medical Association. Our guidelines give significant flexibility at a local level.  

Limits on hours are 72 hours for a week and 140 for 14 days (if both of these limits are breached, both penalty payments can be claimed). A maximum of 12 days can be worked in a row (after which you require a 48-hour break). Most rosters will have split night shifts of 3 and 4 nights. Up to 7-night shifts can be rostered but only with RMO agreement and only if there is regular opportunity for rest (more details on rostering 7 nights can be found in Appendix 4 of the collective agreement). STONZ Rosters can be changed unless there is a disagreement by 1/3 of the RMO’s working the roster (previously you required 2/3 agreement to change).

If a roster is not published within the sufficient notice period then STONZ collective agreement has an agreed escalation pathway as a way to hold Services and districts to account.