Who is covered by the Collective Agreement#

Support staff covered by the agreement are:

• employed in state or state-integrated schools and kura
• members of the New Zealand Education Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI Te Riu Roa) or E tū.

Support staff include people who work directly or indirectly with teachers and students to support them.

Their work may be:

• secretarial
• financial
• human resources
• property management.

Part 1.3 of the collective agreement lists the roles that are not covered.

Update#

The School Support Staff Collective Agreement (SSSCA) lapsed on 19 December 2025. Employees that were bound by those collective agreements are now on Individual Employment Agreements (IEAs) with the same terms and conditions as those in the lapsed collective agreements.

The parties are pleased to advise that with NZEI’s agreement the Ministry is updating the rates and terms and conditions that school support staff can be offered while bargaining continues.

For all currently employed staff these are via Variation to Terms and Conditions of Employment (VTEs). For new employees, these are via newly promulgated Individual Employment Agreements (IEAs).

Download the School Support Staff VTE.

Download the expired Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement (SSSCA).

Who is covered by an individual employment agreement#

Individual employment agreements (IEAs) and Variation to Terms of Employment (VTE) are developed and published by us. The terms and conditions are similar to the lapsed collective agreement.

You need to sign an IEA if:

• you're a new employee
• your work is covered by the SSSCA.

But you need to sign a VTE if:

• you're an existing employee
• your work is covered by the SSSCA.

Update#

For employees to access new pay rates and terms and conditions, both the employee and employer will need to sign the new VTE or IEA if they are a new employee. The VTEs and IEAs are available to all employees whose roles fall under coverage of the SSSCA.

The key changes in the new IEA and VTE are:

• 2.3% increase to printed rates
• increasing the motor vehicle allowance to $0.83 per kilometre
• clarifications to the tiaki allowance
• updated conduct and performance provisions
• making a 40-hour work week standard and grandparenting 37.5-hour arrangements in the SSSCA IEA/VTE
• changes to variation/changes to hours clauses in the SSSCA IEA and VTE.

Full clause wording and pay rates are available in the IEA and VTE.

Download the Support Staff in Schools' VTE and IEA.

Pay and allowances#

Pay grades and increases are set out in part 3 of the agreement. Allowances for higher duties and recognised qualifications are also in this section.

You can find out more about recognised qualifications on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) website.

The New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework – NZQA

Other expenses and allowances for support staff in schools are listed in part 5 of the collective agreement.

Leave#

Leave entitlements are set out in part 6 of the collective agreement.

Resignation, dismissal and retirement#

Both you and your employer must follow the correct processes and procedures to manage your resignation, dismissal or retirement.

This is set out in parts 8 and 9 of the collective agreement.