Thousands of nurses will picket today

More than three thousand general practice nurses and 500 administration staff across the country are expected to strike over pay parity issues.

They're calling for the same pay as their DHB colleagues.

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation's Industrial advisor for the public health sector Chris Wilson says there'll be reduced services across the country.

She says some practices will close and others have significantly scaled back to a skeleton crew -- who will be there to deal with any urgent or emergency situations.