Until 2017 rest-home workers were amongst the lowest-paid workers in New Zealand, even though they provided an essential service. These rest-home workers employed by Guardian Healthcare in Auckland were on strike in 2005 after pay negotiations foundered. They were seeking  an hourly rate of between $11 and $14 for caregivers, and between $17.60 and $23.50 for registered nurses. At the time the minimum adult hourly wage was $9.50.

In April 2017, after 20 months of negotiation between the government and E tū, a union for caregivers, a settlement was reached on equal pay for aged caregivers. It involved a series of increases over the next four years in the hourly rates paid to caregivers who were initially on the minimum wage.