Primary school teachers will be voting on an improved offer for their collective employment agreement after taking part in the country’s largest ever education strike in March.

The NZEI Te Riu Roa primary teacher members negotiating team received a third collective agreement offer from the Ministry of Education last week, which sees welcome movement on several key issues, NZEI Te Riu Roa says.

South Canterbury teacher and negotiating team leader Barb Curran said that members had been campaigning since July last year for meaningful progress on teachers’ working conditions so that they can better meet the needs of tamariki, and improve pay to attract and retain people in the profession.

“We are pleased that our members’ ongoing actions have led to changes in this offer. What will make the biggest difference to me is the classroom release time, which will allow me to plan for and work with students who need additional help. The introduction of release time for teachers with additional responsibilities is also welcome as there just hasn’t been enough time in the day or term to do the work asked of us. Taking the top pay bracket higher is a very good change.”

Paeone Goonan, a resource teacher of learning and behaviour based at Opotiki College and a member of the negotiating team said the introduction of the cultural leadership allowances and the increase to the Māori immersion teaching allowance were historic improvements.

“I’m really excited about the cultural leadership allowances because that is an acknowledgement of the skills and expertise of those kaiako and their culture. Those teachers are doing the mahi anyway; we’ve got the Aotearoa Histories happening in schools now, and all those who teach kapa haka, but they weren’t being acknowledged for it.”

Ms Goonan said the increase to the motor vehicle allowance was significant also.

“It’s very important for itinerant teachers, and others who travel and I’m excited to see the Government paying attention to our asks in this area.”

Vaitimu Togi Lemanu, a deputy principal from Sutton Park School in Mangere, said the introduction of the Pacific language teachers’ allowance was something that Pasifika teachers had been working towards for many years. Sutton Park School has eight Tongan bilingual classes and four Samoan bilingual classes.

“So many of our teachers spend their weekends creating resources so we can deliver the New Zealand curriculum in our languages. I'm really happy to see these teachers finally being recognised and valued for their work. This will make a big difference to them.”

He started working as a teacher in a Samoan bilingual class 23 years ago.

“There were Pasifika teachers fighting for recognition then, so we really need to acknowledge the hard work and efforts of those past teachers who were thinking about how we retain and nurture our languages,” he said.

Barb Curran said today’s announcements of a small reduction in teacher to student ratios for Years 4-8 and the Ministerial Advisory Group into smaller class sizes was welcome.

“Our members have been campaigning for smaller classroom sizes for years, and it’s heartening to see that we’re finally being listened to.”

“The NZEI negotiations team believe this is a reasonable offer in the current economic climate,” she said.

NZEI Te Riu Roa members covered by the Primary Teachers Collective Agreement will vote on the proposed offer early in Term 2.

Key elements of the proposed offer include:

Increases in classroom release time to enable at least a day a fortnight for teachers to plan, more than double what they have currently. Introduction of new classroom release time for unit holders (teachers who take on particular responsibilities within a school).

Acknowledging cultural leadership in schools with an increase in the Māori immersion teaching allowance;

the introduction of a new Pacific bilingual teaching allowance;

and for the first time, 1200 cultural leadership allowances of $5000 per annum from 2024 to recognise those kaiako with additional responsibilities because they are cultural and/or community leaders who build staff capability in schools and kura.

A remuneration increase of between 11-14% over three years which will help teachers deal with inflation and lifts the top step to $100,000 per year by the end of 2024. Backdating to 1 December 2022.

Access to significantly more sick leave under the offer, providing around 30% more over their career.

Other improvements affecting beginning teachers, mileage and a member only benefit for NZEI Te Riu Roa members.

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