Hundreds of NZEI Te Riu Roa members employed by early childhood education business Evolve Education are taking action today against proposed cutbacks to union-won pay scales and working conditions.
In an unprecedented move for the private, for-profit early childhood education sector, members across the country are participating in events throughout the day as part of a nationwide “Day of Action.” Outside of their working hours, staff are demonstrating outside several Evolve centres nationwide and signing open letters calling on Evolve to value the work of teachers and support staff. These events are about visibility, voice, and community.
Early childhood teacher and NZEI Te Riu Roa early childhood education representative Zane McCarthy said teachers and support staff decided to take action following an impasse in collective agreement negotiations.
“Evolve has made an offer that proposes to claw back pay scales and working conditions won by union members in the 2023-2026 collective agreement and fails to recognise their hard work and continuing cost-of-living pressures,” Mr McCarthy said.
“Every day, teachers and support staff at Evolve go above and beyond to ensure our youngest tamariki feel safe, loved, valued, and supported because they believe every child deserves the best start in life. Their work builds the foundation for lifelong learning and is essential to our communities and the future of Aotearoa. If we value our tamariki and the staff who nurture them, we should pay them fairly.
“All they are seeking is fair pay and employment conditions,” Mr McCarthy said. “We will stand our ground, and we are not ruling out escalating action if we cannot reach an agreement that values the work of educators.”
"We want to get back to the bargaining table as soon as possible. But Evolve needs to come with an offer that takes these clawbacks off the table and truly respects our teachers and support staff," Mr McCarthy added.
Evolve’s proposals seek to:
- Cut back the certified teachers’ pay scale, leaving most teachers thousands of dollars worse off when they next move up a step.
- Freeze wages for support staff and unqualified teachers who are paid as little as $25.49 per hour.
- Cut the pay of certified relieving teachers to as low as $25.49 per hour.
- Place all newly hired or newly certified teachers on Step 1 of the pay scale, regardless of experience and qualifications.
- Remove allowances for newly appointed Team Leaders and Assistant Centre Managers.
- Exclude Centre Managers and Assistant Centre Managers from the collective agreement altogether.
- Remove Infectious Diseases Leave, replacing it with only one additional day of sick leave.
The country’s second largest private early childhood education provider, Evolve Education operates around 80 centres under brands including Lollipops, Active Explorers, Learning Adventures, Little Wonders, Little Lights, and Pascals. It is owned by Australian private equity firm Anchorage and received $85.6mln in government funding for the year ending 31 December 2025.