Schools create communities and provide opportunities for our students. It is vital that they have all the resourcing they need so that our young people thrive at school.

The first offer that secondary teachers received won’t help fix the teacher supply crisis, and there was nothing to address the growing student needs of our students. Our rangitahi deserve better than this.

By signing our pledge for public education, you are supporting teachers as they strive to make our education system the best that it can be for all our students.

To Minister of Education Erica Stanford and the Aotearoa New Zealand Government: Give secondary teachers a fair settlement so that all our students’ needs are met, and they have a qualified specialist teacher in every class.

Join us by adding your name, calling on the Government of Aotearoa New Zealand to:

• Ensure pay rates are fair, so that we can attract and retain teachers. The first offer for secondary teachers was a 1% pay increase for three years. This is less than inflation, and is not enough to address the teacher supply crisis.
• Resource teachers and schools to meet students’ needs. More than ever, students need pastoral care and mental health supports. Teachers need dedicated time allowances to undertake pastoral care duties to make sure our students thrive at school.
• Compensate for the loss of pay equity processes. Teachers put four years of hard work into a pay equity process that was gutted overnight. A fair settlement will address the gender pay gap now that pay equity processes are no longer available.
• Provide ongoing, meaningful professional learning for teachers. In a time of fast technological changes and ongoing curriculum revisions, teachers need time and access to professional development. Teachers should be resourced and trusted to choose the professional learning that is best for them.
• Provide culturally responsive education. Māori and Pasifika teachers go the extra mile to make connections between home and school. They should be given paid time to do this work. Teachers who are proficient in te reo Māori should be recognised for their expertise.
• Pay teachers fairly for all the school roles they undertake. Teachers take on responsibilities such as careers advisor, principal’s nominee (NCEA co-ordinator), student teacher mentor, and laboratory manager. They need to be given time, and paid fairly, for this work.
• Cover registration and certification costs for teachers. Students deserve trained, qualified teachers. The government should cover the costs of ensuring the profession is fully registered and regulated.

Why is this important?

Every student deserves a specialist teacher in every subject they learn. At the moment, some students are being taught by teachers outside their specialist area, or they are learning in very large classes. Some students are unable to take the subjects they are most interested in because the school can’t employ a teacher. The government must offer teachers a fair pay increase in order to attract graduates and second-career teachers to the profession, and to keep teachers from leaving the classroom.

Students’ pastoral care and mental health needs are greater than ever before. They live in a complex world of changing technology and must navigate social media and online harm in ways that previous generations have not had to. Teachers need dedicated time to provide pastoral care for these students if they are to succeed at school. Teachers also need time and funding to undertake professional learning so that they can adapt to the changing world, and to changes in curriculum and assessment.

The first offer that secondary teachers received contained a pay rise that won’t do anything to increase the number of teachers in New Zealand schools, and there was nothing to address the growing student needs of our students.

Thank you for signing the pledge public education, for standing for teachers, and for calling for a quality education system for students.

Toitū te Mātauranga, toitū ngā kura – we stand for public education.

This pledge is supported by:

• Public Services Association (PSA)
• Independent Schools Education Association (ISEA)
• New Zealand Association of French Teachers (NZAFT)
• NZCTU TE Kauae Kaimahi
• Whakaari Aotearoa Drama NZ
• NZEI Te Riu Roa
• NZ Areas Schools Association