A small group of educators crucial to supporting ākonga and kaimahi with te reo Māori will receive a significant income increase if a proposed pay equity settlement is accepted.

The proposed pay equity settlement was announced today by the Secretary for Education, Iona Holsted, and NZEI Te Riu Roa president, Liam Rutherford.

The new pay equity rates would see the approximately 80 kaiārahi i te reo receive pay increases ranging from 77 percent to 83 percent.

As an example, a kaiārahi i te reo who is currently earning $23.03 per hour would see their income rise to $41.31 per hour.

The new rates are intended to apply from 20 August 2021, the date evidence of undervaluation was confirmed by the Ministry and NZEI Te Riu Roa.

The role of kaiārahi i te reo is to support the development and preservation of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori within kura and schools.

They are recognised for their involvement within the community and their knowledge and experience of te ao Māori. They also contribute to creating inclusive and safe spaces by growing the cultural capability of ākonga and kaimahi in kura and schools.

"Pay equity is a fundamental tool in addressing historical sex-based bias in education workforce pay rates, and in fairly recognising these workers’ skills," Iona Holsted said.

NZEI Te Riu Roa will consult with employees covered by the claim for the next two weeks. They will then vote on whether to accept the proposed settlement.

The proposed settlement follows a comprehensive 18-month investigation, carried out by the Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa, to determine whether kaiārahi i te reo are being paid less than male-dominated workforces performing work of the same value.

Earlier this month, the Ministry and NZEI Te Riu Roa also reached a proposed settlement agreement for school administration support staff. Pay equity settlements have already been reached for teacher aides and education support workers.

The Ministry of Education and the Post Primary Teachers Association / Te Wehengarua (PPTA), NZEI Te Riu Roa, the Public Service Association (PSA), the Association for Professional and Executive Employees (APEX), the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA), are jointly working on several more pay equity claims across education workforces.

Details of these claims can be found on Pay equity.

Kua tutuki te whakataunga marohi mō te taurite o ngā utu mō ngā kaiārahi reo

Ka whiwhi tētahi rōpū tokoiti o ngā kaiwhakaako e āwhina ana i ngā ākonga me ngā kaimahi ki tō rātou reo Māori i te pikinga utu nui ki te whakaaetia te whakataunga marohi mō te taurite o ngā utu.

I whakapuakina te whakataunga marohi mō te taurite o ngā utu e te Te Tumu Whakarae mō te Mātauranga, a Iona Holsted, me Te Manukura o NZEI Te Riu Roa, a Liam Rutherford.

Mā ēnei utu mahi taurite hou, e whiwhi kei te takiwā o te 80 o ngā kaiārahi i te reo i ngā pikinga utu mai i te 77 ōrau ki te 83 ōrau.

Hei tauira, mēnā kei te whiwhi tētahi kaiārahi i te reo i te $23.03 i ia hāora ināianei, ka piki tōna utu mahi ki te $41.31 i ia hāora.

Kua whakatauria kia whakamahia ēnei utu mai i te 20 o Hereturikōkā 2021, te rā i whakakitea te taunakitanga o te pore utu e Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga me NZEI Te Riu Roa.

Ko te mahi o te kaiārahi i te reo, ko te tautoko i te whanaketanga me te tautiaki o te reo Māori, ngā tikanga Māori me te mātauranga Māori i roto i ngā kura.

Ka whakamanahia rātou mō ā rātou whai wāhi ki te hapori, ō rātou mōhiotanga whānui me te mātau ā-wheako mō te ao Māori. Ka āwhina hoki rātou ki te waihanga i ngā wāhi haumaru, kauawhi hoki, mā te whakawhanake i te āheitanga ahurea o ngā ākonga me ngā kaimahi kei roto i ngā kura.

"Ko te taurite o te utu mahi, tētahi tino ara ki te whakakore i te taurite-kore ā-ira tangata o ngā utu mahi o mua rā mō te rāngai mahi mātauranga, ā, kia tōkeke ai te whakanui i ngā pūkenga o aua kaimahi," te kī a Iona Holsted.

Ka whakawhitiwhiti kōrero a NZEI Te Riu Roa ki ngā kaimahi kua uhia ki tēnei kerēme mō ngā wiki e rua e whai ake nei. Kātahi ka pōti rātou ki te whakaae, ki te whakahē rānei i te whakataunga.

Ka whai tēnei whakataunga i te tūhuratanga 18 ngā marama te roa, nā Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga me NZEI Te Riu Roa, hei whakatau mēnā he iti iho te utu mahi mō ngā kaiārahi i te reo, i te utu mahi mō ngā hunga mahi ko te nuinga he tāne, ahakoa te ōrite o te uara mahi.

I te tīmatanga o tēnei marama, kua whakatutukitia e Te Tāhuhu me NZEI Te Riu Roa i tētahi whakataunga marohi anō mō ngā utu mahi mō ngā kaimahi tautoko ā-tari o ngā kura. Kua whakatutuki kē i ngā whakataunga taurite o te utu mahi mō ngā kaiāwhina, me ngā kaimahi tautoko ako.

Kei te mahi tahi Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga, Te Wehengarua (PPTA), NZEI Te Riu Roa, Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi (PSA), te Association for Professional and Executive Employees (APEX), Te Whakarōpūtanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa (NZSTA) hoki, ki te whakatau i ētahi atu kerēme mō te taurite o te utu mahi puta noa i ngā hunga kaimahi o te rāngai kaimahi mātauranga.

Ka kitea ngā taipitopito mō ēnei kerēme kei Pay equity.

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