On this page
From 1 July 2025 until 30 June 2027, education and care (including hospital-based) services that have opted into the pay parity scheme will be able to determine the initial salary step for newly certificated teachers and certificated teachers who are new to working in the New Zealand ECE sector (for example a primary school teacher with no prior experience in ECE).
These services are required to pay at least step 1 of the minimum salary scales but will no longer need to take into account higher qualification groups, previous relevant work experience, and recognised service when determining the initial salary step for the teachers described above.
This change does not affect the requirement for services to progress teachers up the salary scales as they complete the specified hours of work.
In addition to this, following the July 2025 funding period, a 2-year moratorium on services who have currently attested to paying permanently employed certificated teachers at Parity and Extended Parity salary scale amounts will take effect. These services will not be able to attest to paying higher salary scales after the July 2025 funding payment, for a period of 2 years. This moratorium will prevent these services from attesting to higher salary scales, but it will not prevent any service from attesting to lower salary scales during this time.
See the guide below for more information.
Changes to pay parity opt-in scheme (1 July 2025 - 30 June 2027)About the pay parity opt-in scheme#
About Pay Parity
Video summarising pay parity in education and care service (including hospital-based).
Mō te ōritenga o te utu kaiako
Mō te ōritenga o te utu kaiako
The pay parity opt-in scheme is a funding scheme for education and care services, including hospital-based services.
Our pay parity guide has more information about the scheme.
Pay parity guide for ECE teachers and service providersServices that opt in can access higher funding rates for paying their certificated teachers at or above certain minimum salary steps. There are 4 minimum salary scales. We fund services the funding rates that are in line with their chosen salary scale.
The salary scales for certificated teachers are:
- base
- parity
- extended parity
- full parity.
The ECE Funding Handbook has the funding rates for each of these salary scales.
Appendix 1: Funding rates tables
How to calculate pay parity salary steps#
How to opt in#
Your service can attest to or confirm what you are paying your certificated teachers when you submit your RS7 return. Completing the attestation means identifying that your service has met all the funding conditions for that salary scale.
Your education and care service will receive funding if you meet all of the requirements in the ECE Funding Handbook.
When you prepare your RS7 return, services need to:
- select a minimum salary scale
- sign an attestation to confirm that you have paid all certificated teachers at least the minimum salary amounts for the period of the RS7 return.
When to complete attestations#
Your service will complete an attestation 3 times a year for the March, July and November funding rounds to confirm what you are paying certificated teachers. Attestation periods are:
- March funding round: October to January.
- July funding round: February to May.
- November funding round: June to September.
You can submit your RS7 with a different salary scale if you are already paying your teachers at that scale.
Services can opt out of the scheme. To opt out, contact us.
Email: [email protected]
We may need to recover funding if your service moves to a lower funded salary scale.
Where to go for help#
If you have any questions or need help with the pay parity opt-in scheme, contact us:
Email: [email protected]
List of services in the scheme#
We publish the full list of services who have opted in to the pay parity scheme on Education Counts. We update the list each funding period with the minimum salary scale each service has attested to paying their certificated teachers on.
Attestation for certificated teachers’ salaries – Education Counts
