Nurses have voted to take strike action amidst what they call a staffing crisis.

The move to take industrial action is pending one last-ditch pay offer from DHBs - expected later today.

Nurses Organisation industrial services manager Cee Payne told Mike Hosking nurses should be paid more.

"It's about at least achieving that parity with secondary school teachers, which is closer to 11 per cent right now, and we don't want to play catch up until 2020."

Payne says nurses very rarely raise the spectre of industrial action.

"It's been over thirty years, so nurses do put up with a lot. They are telling us there is a staffing crisis. Patients know that nurses are stressed when coming to work."

LISTEN TO CEE PAYNE TALK WITH MIKE HOSKING ABOVE