NUPE Annual General Meeting 2026

Join In Person or Via Teams

NUPE members from all areas are invited to take part in the 2026 AGM, either in person in Christchurch or online via Teams. It is an opportunity for members to come together, take part in union decision-making, and help shape the direction of NUPE for the year ahead.

The NUPE Executive Committee encourages members to attend and have a say in the election of the new Executive Committee. The meeting will also be advertised on the NUPE website and NUPE social media accounts so members can keep an eye out for reminders and any further information.

The AGM will be held on 28 September 2026 at 6 p.m. at the Trade Union Centre.

NUPE, 68 Langdons Road, Papanui, Christchurch.

Members who wish to attend online can request a Teams link from NUPE admin by emailing Quentin@nupe.org.nz.

If you want to nominate someone for the NUPE Executive Committee:

Email Quentin@nupe.org.nz for a nomination form. Nominations can be made before the AGM or at the Annual General Meeting on 28 September 2026.

The Risk is Real : Community Support Workers Face The Fire

Community-based support workers undertake some of the most important care work in New Zealand. Most days are built around relationships, routines, independence, dignity and helping people live good lives in their communities.

But we also need to talk openly about risk.

NUPE members have reported being punched, kicked, bitten, spat at, scratched, struck with objects and assaulted while providing personal care. Some describe working alone with people with high and complex needs, being unable to safely withdraw from confined spaces, or worrying that assistance will not arrive quickly enough when an incident escalates.

These experiences are not isolated from what has been reported publicly across New Zealand.

This Has Been Reported Before

New Zealand media and union reporting has documented serious incidents of violence against disability and community support workers.

In one reported case, a disability support worker suffered serious and lasting back injuries following an assault in a residential home. A survey of hundreds of support workers also recorded significant numbers of incidents involving punching, kicking, spitting and other forms of aggression, with some workers requiring medical treatment, counselling or time away from work.

RNZ has previously reported concerns about violence within disability support services,

including reports of workers being assaulted and concerns about staff being moved between unfamiliar homes without adequate knowledge of the people they were supporting or the risks involved.

Employment cases have also highlighted serious incidents involving community support workers. In one case, a worker supporting high-needs residents was threatened with serious violence while working alone. Police attended the incident and the worker later developed post-traumatic stress disorder and went on sick leave.

Public reporting has also shown that poorly managed behavioural risk can endanger the people receiving support. The Health and Disability Commissioner has considered cases where people living in supported residential settings have been assaulted by other residents, with concerns identified around risk management, placement decisions and the management of escalating behaviour.

Violence Is Not “Just Part of the Job”

It is important to be clear about what NUPE is saying.

We are not suggesting that people living with intellectual disabilities or requiring mental health support are inherently violent.

They are not.

Many people receiving support have complex lives and needs. Behaviour can be influenced by communication difficulties, trauma, mental distress, environmental pressures, medical conditions, frustration and many other factors.

That is exactly why providers need robust systems around them.

When known risks exist, those risks need to be matched with appropriate staffing, skilled

workers, good behavioural support, suitable placements, reliable backup and homes designed so workers and residents can remain safe.

NUPE's own consultation has identified repeated concerns about lone working, unsafe staffing ratios, limited emergency backup and situations where the level of risk and complexity is not matched by the resources available.

The Consequences Can Last Long After the Shift Ends

An assault does not necessarily finish when an incident finishes.

There can be physical injuries, concussion, musculoskeletal damage and extended periods away from work.

There can also be psychological consequences — anxiety, loss of confidence, hypervigilance, sleep disruption, trauma and, in serious circumstances, PTSD.

Members have told NUPE about significant assaults and injuries and about occasions where workers felt unsupported afterwards.

That is why prevention matters.

NUPE Is Calling for Prevention, Not Acceptance

The answer cannot be to tell workers that violence is simply an occupational reality they must learn to tolerate.

NUPE believes foreseeable risk must be actively managed.

That means:

• Safe staffing ratios

• Properly trained and experienced workers

• Fit-for-purpose homes

• Effective behaviour and risk plans

• Reliable emergency backup

• Good placement decisions

• Appropriate equipment

• Strong incident reporting

• Meaningful support following an assault

Most importantly, workers need to be listened to when they say something is becoming unsafe.

The people providing support every day often see changes in behaviour, house dynamics and risk long before they appear in a formal report.

Their voice is an essential safety control.

Community-based care provides enormously valuable support to thousands of New Zealanders.

We want it to succeed.

But pretending the risk does not exist protects nobody — not workers and not the people

receiving support.

The risk is real.

It can be managed.

And workers have a right to expect that everything reasonably possible is being done to keep them safe.

The Pressure on Community-Based Care Workers

Community-based care workers provide essential support to some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people. They work with people who may have intellectual disabilities, significant behavioural needs, mental health needs, complex medical conditions, mobility challenges and intensive support requirements.

It is skilled, demanding and important work.

But feedback gathered by NUPE shows a workforce operating under significant and sustained pressure. Workers remain deeply committed to the people they support, yet many describe systems that are not keeping pace with the increasing complexity and risk of the work.

Too Few Staff Carrying Too Much Risk

One of the strongest themes raised by workers is staffing.

Members have described working alone with several people, including during night shifts when service users may be awake, distressed or require active support.

The problem is not simply the number of people being supported. The level of behavioural, medical and mental health complexity must also be considered.

When staffing does not reflect that complexity, one worker can be expected to manage several competing needs while also responding to an emergency or escalating situation.

This pressure becomes even greater when shifts cannot be filled, experienced staff are moved between homes, or unfamiliar casual and relieving workers are brought into complex environments.

Violence and the Risk of Serious Injury

Workers have also described significant exposure to violence and aggression.

Member feedback has included reports of workers being punched, kicked, bitten, scratched, spat at, struck with objects and injured while providing personal care.

Some workers describe situations where they cannot easily get away, particularly when working in confined spaces or providing close personal support.

NUPE's position is clear: being assaulted should never simply be accepted as part of working in community care.

The risk must be identified and managed through appropriate staffing, environments, training, placement decisions and reliable emergency support.

Fatigue and the Inability to Take Proper Breaks

Understaffing creates another pressure: fatigue.

Workers have reported long shifts and situations where they cannot take a genuine break because they remain responsible for the people they are supporting.

When a worker is alone, there may simply be nobody available to relieve them.

Over time, this contributes to exhaustion, burnout and reduced ability to safely make decisions in already demanding environments.

Training, Information and Experience Matter

Staff are also placed under pressure when they are sent into unfamiliar homes without adequate information or preparation.

Workers have raised concerns about limited house-specific orientation, insufficient information about client risks, lack of equipment training and inexperienced staff being placed into complex environments.

Experienced workers can then find themselves managing both the people receiving support and helping an inexperienced colleague understand what they are walking into.

A Workforce That Needs Greater Support

These pressures do not exist independently.

Unsafe staffing contributes to fatigue.

Fatigue increases risk.

Poor information makes difficult situations harder to manage.

An unsuitable home can make it impossible for a worker to safely disengage.

A lack of emergency backup can leave a worker managing an escalating situation alone.

The result is a workforce that can carry an extraordinary level of responsibility every day.

NUPE believes community care workers deserve systems that recognise the reality and complexity of their work.

That means safe staffing ratios, reliable backup, fit-for-purpose homes, proper training, meaningful supervision, good communication and the ability to raise concerns without fear of being ignored or blamed.