Changes to the Primary Teachers' Collective Agreement 2023-25

All full-time teachers employed as of 12 June 2023 will receive a one-time gross payment of $3,000. This payment will be pro-rated for part-time employees and short-term relievers.

For details on how the pro-rated amount will be calculated, refer to clause 1.8.3 (PTCA).

Additional payments for NZEI members

In recognition of the benefits arising out of the parties’ relationship, including the role of NZEI Te Riu Roa in negotiating terms and conditions for primary teachers, employees who were members of NZEI Te Riu Roa as at 12 June 2023 will receive two additional payments as follows:

1. All full-time teachers will receive a one-time gross payment of $1,500. This payment will be pro-rated for part-time and short-term relievers. For details on how the pro-rated amount will be calculated, refer to clause 1.8.1 (PTCA).
2. A one-time gross payment of $710 (the Teaching Council fees payment). Short-term relievers will receive this payment if they worked at least one day of short-term relief teaching in Term 1 or 2, 2023. The Teaching Council fees payment is not pro-rated but each teacher is only entitled to be paid it once, even if a teacher holds another teaching role.

Employees who were bound by the Agreement as at 12 June 2023, and on that day were on approved unpaid leave, are entitled, upon application, to receive the applicable payments on their return to their position, providing that they return either:

• on or before the end of Term 1, 2024; or 
• on or before Term 1, 2025 for those on parental leave.   

The payment(s) will be based on the teacher’s full-time teaching equivalent as at their last working day before going on leave. 

Lump-sum payments to union members will be made in pay period 9 (25 July 2023) from the funding code that applied on 12 June 2023 (date of ratification).

Where a teacher is employed from a school’s bulk grant or operating funding, the school board is responsible for the payment of any associated costs, including any collective agreement entitlements that arise. This is in accordance with section 580(b) of the Education and Training Act 2020. Please refer to our website for further information:

Employing teachers from operational funding – Education in New Zealand

Please note any changes made to funding codes from pay period 9 (25 July) will not alter this.

Effective from 3 July 2023, Learning Support Coordinators (LSCs) will be covered by the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement for teachers. Individual LSCs will be covered by the collective agreement that applies at their employing school. 

The functions of the role are set out in the coordinator role description drafted by the Ministry of Education along with any distinct responsibilities and/or activities that are defined by the employing school, in consultation with other schools in the Kāhui Ako or cluster, where applicable. Each coordinator will be fully released from timetabled duties.

Where a coordinator is allocated additional leadership, management or other responsibilities for learning support, consideration should be given to whether a unit should be allocated in line with the school’s unit allocation policy. The employer must consider the balance of the allocated responsibilities to allow the coordinator to fulfil their role effectively. 

Should additional terms and conditions for LSCs be agreed in the ratification or variation of another Collective Agreement covering teachers in state or state-integrated schools, these conditions shall be offered by way of variation within one month of ratification/variation of the other collective agreement. This applies only for the term of this agreement. 

The purpose of this allowance is to give practical recognition to te reo Māori as a taonga to be actively protected under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to recognise the special and valued skills and knowledge kaiako must have to teach the curriculum in te reo Māori.

Effective from 17 July 2023, the Māori Immersion Teaching Allowances will increase to up to a maximum of $12,000 per annum for immersion level 1 (from $8,000) and a maximum of $8,000 per annum for immersion level 2 (from $4,000). Rates for level 3 are unchanged. Rates increase from the base to the maximum rates depending on years of service.

A teacher is eligible for the MITA if they meet the minimum teaching time requirements for that Level and have the language proficiency necessary to teach the curriculum in te reo Māori for the period required by the language immersion level they work in.

Schools were previously required to attest the eligibility of teachers for these allowances yearly. Instead, they will only need to advise in situations where there are changes. 

Changes to the Kāhui Ako within-school-teacher allowances have been introduced to provide greater flexibility in the allocation of the allowance. The board of a primary school may allocate up to 50% of the staffing entitlement allocation it is given for "within-school-teacher" roles to Kāhui Ako responsibility allowances. They can be allocated to those not holding the within school role, but who are: 

• undertaking Kāhui Ako related responsibilities 
• promoting effective teaching practice and strengthening the use of effective approaches to teaching and learning within the school to achieve shared Kāhui Ako objectives. 

The employing board will determine whether the allocation of the responsibility allowance will be permanent or for a fixed term of up to one year. A teacher allocated a Kāhui Ako responsibility allowance will be entitled to a payment of $2,000 per year. A teacher may hold more than one responsibility allowance at a time. Unlike the ‘within school role’, where a teacher must maintain a minimum of a 0.8 FTTE classroom teaching load, there is no minimum required load for the responsibility allowance.  

It is important for schools to uphold their current agreements with within-school teachers. The allocation of responsibility allowances should only take place when there are unallocated allowances. This can occur from 6 September 2023.

A board can also provide a teacher who is allocated a Kāhui Ako responsibility allowance with release time from the within school teacher staffing entitlement. This is subject to at least 50% of the within-school-teacher release-time entitlement continuing to be allocated to teachers appointed to a within-school-teacher staffing role.  

The allowance holder is subject to the terms of clause 3.35 of the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement.

For further information, you can contact your local Ministry office to talk to your Kāhui Ako lead advisor and there is further information on the NZSTA Resource Centre related to allocation and appointments of the allowance.

Eligible beginning primary teachers who progress from provisional certification to a full practising certificate during the term of the collective agreement will have the applicable Teaching Council fee paid for by the Ministry of Education.

The Teaching Council is currently working with the Ministry of Education to prioritise changes to its online registration system, Hapori Matatū to ensure eligible teachers can access this benefit as quickly and as easily as possible.

Where teachers want to clarify whether they are eligible for this benefit, please contact the Ministry of Education at TeacherRegistration.Payments@education.govt.nz.

Teachers who have already submitted and paid for an application to progress from provisional to full practising certificate may be entitled to a reimbursement. The Ministry of Education is contacting those affected to confirm eligibility and arrange reimbursement.

Note that teachers who already hold full practising certificates should apply online in Hapori Matatū in the normal way to ensure they renew their practising certificates before the expiry date.

Several clauses have had wording updates to improve the clarity and readability around entitlements. These are: 

• removals expenses
• parental leave
• parental grant
• disregarded sick leave
• RTLB cluster lead-school changes.

No substantial changes have been made to these provisions.