National Party health spokesman Michael Woodhouse said Peters' repeated public statements that there was no more money was "kicking the hornet's nest".
"To do that through the media is a pretty inflammatory response when the nurses are saying 'let's continue to talk'."
He said it was generous offer, but rejected the Government's claims that it was because of the need to make up for lower increases under National's nine years in power.
He said those were in different times and the pay increases nurses had received were comfortably above the rate of inflation.
"A negotiation by its nature is a two-way process. Nobody can be forced into settling against their will. If they were unhappy with them there were options they could have taken.
"The bigger issue is that massive expectations were set by a Labour Party which is now in Government and is not prepared to deliver on them."
DHBs coped well with the strike, Capital and Coast DHB chief medical officer Dr John Tait said. It was a testament to the work they've put into contingency plans over the past three months and the extra staff and volunteers that helped at hospitals around the country.
NZNO industrial services manager Cee Payne said life-preserving services and contingency plans were in place across the 20 district health boards.
"Patient safety and public safety is paramount," Payne said.
Auckland City Hospital registered nurse Gui Restall said she was striking for a "human rights issue".
"It has been ongoing a number years with unsafe staffing, and remuneration that does not reflect our skills, education and level of responsibility.
"Nurses are carers. We don't like to do this. It has been 30 years since the last strike. We feel completely undervalued."
Woodhouse said the lack of serious incidents was a testament to the organisation of the DHBs and the commitment nurses had made to ensure life-preserving care was still available.
"But it is obviously a massive disruption to those who had been expecting treatment or clinical appointment and they have been cancelled. So hopefully this will be the first day and the last."
Peters dismissed as irrelevant the argument that the government could afford $2.3 billion to replace the Royal NZ Air Force Orions with four P8A Poseidons, a measure announced this week.
Peters said it was "not an either–or situation".
"If we don't make that investment in our defence, in our security, our protection of our maritime assets, our fishing assets and a whole lot of other things to do with our future, then we'll have no money for anybody including the nurses.
"They are part of a holistic picture of money that has to be spent and we'd clearly like more but we haven't got it."
Peters said the nurses should be realistic about what could be done in the short term.
"We are not unsympathetic to the nurses' plight and to their concerns but again we have to be realistic.
"All we are saying is give us a chance and we will help you but we can't do it all in the space of one Budget."
