Immigration officers and frontline welfare staff are among almost 10,000 public servants striking nationwide over pay disputes, the Public Service Association says,
The industrial action spans the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Department of Internal Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry for Ethnic Communities.
The union says workers have rejected pay offers as inadequate.
Protesters gathered on the steps of Parliament waving Public Service Association flags and holding placards reading "public service cuts hurt everyone" and "ChatGPT can't replace me".
Others had signs reading "cuts to erase our history" and another "don't let our heritage die", a nod to the National Library and Archives staff among those walking off the job.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins addressed the Wellington rally.
"You are not just numbers on a piece of paper," he told the crowd earlier today.
"You cannot cut your way to better public services."
Meanwhile, union delegate Kate Hamilton, who works at MSD, said the action followed a sustained period of "very public and very frequent" attacks on workers.
"Public service is important. Each of us here believes that… We need to see our wellbeing front and centre with our employers," she said.
"After 27 years this is my first industrial action … we have to draw a line, and this is it."
The largest walkout during today's strikes was expected to be from MSD, where the union said it expected more than 5000 staff to strike from 1pm to 3pm.
The Public Service Association's Duane Leo said the workers were fighting to stop wages going backwards.
"These public servants are seeking an increase that keeps pace with the cost of living so their wages are not going backwards. They have rejected offers considerably below this."
He said the Government's approach was at odds with its stated priorities.
"The Government came to power claiming to have a laser-like focus on the cost of living - it must stop its austerity drive and send a clear message to these employers to settle these disputes so public servants can be paid fairly."
At the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, around 2700 workers are off the job from 1pm to 5.30pm, and more than 1300 workers at other agencies are striking from 1pm to 6pm.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said last week he'd rather the strikers be "actually working" instead of out on the streets.
"We've got a lot of things to deliver for the New Zealand people, and they should be at work, or they should be around the table negotiating," he told media.
"But that's up to the agencies to deal with them."
Public Service Minister Paul Goldsmith said public servants got "very significant" pay increases during the previous Labour government
"We've continued having modest increases," he said last week.
“They've got a right to strike, but I think it's poor form.”
Leo said further action remained on the table.
"All these public servants want are fair deals for themselves and their families," he said.
"That's what these strikes are for, and we haven't ruled out further industrial action if employers don't bring that to the table."
Strike pickets, rallies and hīkoi in at least 18 centres from Whangārei to Dunedin, including Auckland, Hamilton, Gisborne, Napier, Wellington and Christchurch.
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