Amid growing unrest in the education sector, NZEI Te Riu Roa president Ripeka Lessels joins us as 40,000 primary teachers, principals, and support staff prepare to strike on 23 October, calling for meaningful investment in classrooms, careers, and the future of tamariki.
Teachers take action as negotiations stall with government.
This week, secondary school teachers across New Zealand have been engaged in partial strike action, significantly disrupting classes for thousands of students. This follows a nationwide one-day strike in August. The industrial action is a result of stalled collective agreement negotiations with the government, with teachers seeking better pay and conditions.
Secondary teachers roster students home
The Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) orchestrated a series of partial, rolling strikes this week. Each day, PPTA members have refused to teach specific year levels, forcing students to learn from home.
- Monday, September 15: Years 12 and 13 were rostered home.
- Tuesday, September 16: Year 11 students stayed home.
- Wednesday, September 17: Year 10 students were rostered home.
- Thursday, September 18: Year 9 students were set to be rostered home.
The PPTA maintains that the government’s latest offer does not adequately address the issues facing the education sector.
Primary teachers announce full-day strike
The Educational Institute (NZEI Te Riu Roa), representing primary and intermediate teachers, has also escalated its industrial action. On September 16, the union confirmed that its members would hold a full-day strike on October 23. This follows members overwhelmingly rejecting the government’s collective agreement offer.
This strike is notable for also involving principals, school support staff, and specialist Ministry of Education staff—a historic collaboration for the union.
Core issues in the dispute
At the heart of the strikes are several key areas of contention:
- Pay and cost of living: Unions argue that the government’s pay offers fail to keep pace with the rising cost of living, with secondary teachers previously describing a 1% offer as a “real wage cut”. The latest offer for primary teachers, between 2.7% and 4.6%, was also deemed insufficient.
- Classroom conditions and support: Teachers are dealing with students who have increasingly complex needs, exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic. Unions are demanding better support and resources to manage larger workloads and the growing requirements of students.
- Te Tiriti and te reo Māori: The NZEI cited a lack of support for Te Tiriti and te reo Māori in the classroom as a reason for rejecting the latest offer.
- Pay equity: The scrapping of pay equity claims, which aimed to correct historical underpayment in female-dominated professions, has also angered educators.
A volatile industrial environment
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche has criticised the unions for their strike action, calling it “disappointing”. He has urged union leaders to return to the bargaining table and accused the PPTA of “grandstanding”. He acknowledges a “volatile industrial environment,” as other public sector workers, including senior doctors and nurses, have also taken or are planning strike action.
With negotiations at an impasse, the strikes mark a deep-seated struggle for New Zealand’s education sector, with disruptions for students expected to continue into the next school term.
