Employment agreements in early learning
Learn about the employment agreement responsibilities for early learning services.
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Employment agreements are mandatory between employers and employees. Employers have specific regulations that they must adhere to as part of their licensing criteria.
Your obligations as employer
The licensing criteria for early learning services require they implement suitable human resource management practices. You can find information on these requirements in the criteria for your type of service:
- Centre-based ECE services (GMA 7)
- Ngā kōhanga reo (GMA 7)
- Home-based ECE services (GMA 6)
- Hospital-based ECE services (GMA 7)
Kindergartens
Most teachers employed by one of the 33 Kindergarten Associations will be covered by either:
- the Kindergarten Teachers, Head Teachers and Senior Teachers’ Collective Agreement (KTCA)
- the Individual Employment Agreement (IEA) [PDF, 105 KB], with terms and conditions similar to the KTCA
- or a Short-Term Reliever IEA for kindergarten teachers.
Teachers who are members of the New Zealand Educational Institute – Te Riu Roa (NZEI), and whose work comes within the coverage clause of the KTCA, are covered by the terms and conditions of the collective agreement.
To confirm their work is covered by this agreement you can read the full coverage text from the KTCA, Part 1, clause 1.3.
Teachers who are not a member of the NZEI, but their work comes within the coverage clause of the KTCA, can sign a promulgated IEA. The terms and conditions of work are similar to the collective agreement.
Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu
Early childhood teachers employed by Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (the Correspondence School) will be covered by either the:
or the
- Individual Employment Agreement (IEA) [PDF, 186 KB], with terms and conditions similar to the collective agreement.
Teachers who are members of the NZEI and whose work comes within the coverage clause of the Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu Early Childhood Teachers’ Collective Agreement are covered by the terms and conditions of the collective agreement.
To confirm their work is covered by this agreement you can read the full coverage text from the Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu Early Childhood Teachers' Collective Agreement, Part 1, clause 1.4.
Teachers who are not members of NZEI can sign a promulgated IEA if they come within the coverage clause of the collective agreement. The terms and conditions of work are similar to the collective agreement.
Other ECE services or kōhanga reo
The Ministry does not provide templates for individual employment agreements for ECE services or kōhanga reo, but you can visit the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment(external link) website for information to assist you to create one.
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