The nurses' union has withdrawn strike notice for next Thursday after receiving an improved offer from district health boards (DHBs).

Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters is congratulating the nurses' union and district health boards for "constructive" talks that prevented a planned strike.

The 24-hour strike planned for next Thursday has been called off after two days of urgent facilitation, overseen by the Employment Relations Authority, concluded on Friday.

NZNO industrial services manager Cee Payne said the process resulted in DHBs putting forward an improved offer which the union was prepared to recommend to its members.

Online voting on the agreement will begin next Tuesday and run until the following Monday. To give members time to assess the offer, the union had withdrawn notice of a 24-hour strike planned for July 5.

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Peters said "both parties are to be congratulated for the constructive way they have continued to work together to find a settlement".

"This breakthrough means industrial action next week has been averted. That is good news for everyone – nurses, DHBs and most importantly patients up and down the country."

DHBs across the country had already started to postpone thousands of appointments and surgeries in anticipation of industrial action, which would have been the first nationwide nurses' strike in nearly 30 years.

Spokeswoman Helen Mason said DHBs would now be contacting patients to let them know what the cancellation meant for services next week. Notice of a second 24-hour strike planned for July 12 remained in place and contingency planning for this would continue.

Health Minister Dr Clark said he encouraged nurses to consider the offer closely.

"The lifting of strike notice will mean DHBs can operate as usual next week. I know this will be a huge relief to patients," he said.

Payne said the union's negotiating team would be going over details of the revised offer, including the terms of settlement over the weekend. The union expected to be in a position to release the full details to members about 2pm on Monday.

In the wake of the decision, Capital & Coast DHB confirmed its services would resume on Thursday with patients notified of their new appointments "in due course."

Nurses last Monday "strongly rejected" a revised offer from the DHBs which included three pay increases of 3 per cent each, a $2000 lump sum, the creation of two new pay steps for registered nurses, and funding for about 500 new nursing positions.

Clark last week described the $520 million package as the best in a decade. Both he and Finance Minister Grant Robertson insisted no additional funding would be forthcoming, but that the offer could be restructured.

The stance was starkly at odds with that of the nurses' union, which made it clear more funds would be needed to strike a deal. However, it pointed out remuneration was just one aspect, and that nurses were equally concerned about staffing levels.