A funding crisis is pushing many schools to the brink as the number of children with high and complex additional needs continues to rise year after year, educators say.
Despite this growing demand, learning support remains consistently underfunded, leaving schools to carry the weight of providing quality, inclusive public education.
“Funding for a teacher aide in every classroom - rather than more workbooks or assessments - has been the top priority for primary teachers in surveys run by NZEI Te Riu Roa over the past two years,” education union President Ripeka Lessels said.
“Our children do not need more tests; we need more resources to improve their learning outcomes.”
Tute Mila, Arakura School Principal and NZEI Te Riu Roa Principals’ Council member, said the current teacher aide model is fundamentally flawed because it is both under-funded and not fit for purpose.
“We are facing a funding crisis because the Government expects us to deliver inclusive education without providing sufficient funding to hire the teacher aides and learning assistants who make it possible,” Ms Mila said.
“In our school, 78% of our tamariki have additional learning needs, and up to 85% of the children in every class require additional support. Without adequate funding for support staff, our teachers are being stretched to a breaking point and the school is left to carry an unsustainable burden alone.”
Robyn Brown, Birchville School Principal and NZEI Te Riu Roa Principals’ Council member, said the support of a teacher aide is a lifeline in a modern classroom.
“Because our core ‘entitlement’ funding fails to cover these vital roles, every single cent my school community raises is now funnelled directly into paying teacher aide salaries. We have reached a point where the person standing next to a struggling child is paid for by the community, not the system,” Ms Brown said.
“Every Friday, the smell of cheap sausages wafts through the gate, not for a special treat, but because another sausage sizzle or school disco is required to keep our support staff in the classroom. We once took immense pride in raising money for local food banks, but we’ve had to make the heartbreaking decision to scale back on charity events because we have become the charity in need.”
To address this funding crisis, Ms Brown said the Government must index School Operations Grants to inflation and automatically receive teacher aide staffing allocations alongside dedicated high-needs funding.
“We aren't just waiting for numbers from this year’s Budget announcement; we are waiting to see if it finally recognises the current model is broken, or if it will leave our schools to face the fallout of yet another year of underfunding.”
NZEI Te Riu Roa members delivered the Back Our Future | Kimi Haeata petition, signed by around 40,000 people, to the Minister of Education’s electorate office last week.
The handover comes as the education sector waits for the Government’s upcoming Budget announcement to see if it addresses critical staffing and funding pressures. It follows new research showing that 83 per cent of parents want a teacher aide in every classroom.
The Kimi Haeata petition calls for urgent investment in the education workforce, specifically targeting four key areas:
• A teacher aide in every classroom
• Fair pay and job security for all educators
• Upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi in education
• Defending quality early childhood education