All tamariki deserve high-quality early education with qualified teachers and the best learning conditions.
Research shows that early education has huge effects on children’s life outcomes.
Yet the early childhood sector is in crisis, with thousands of teachers leaving the profession every year due to low pay, under-funding, stress and burnout.
Now the Government is pushing through regulatory reforms that are taking us backwards – like cutting teachers’ pay, scrapping regulations that support quality teaching, and removing the requirement to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
We're always working towards better pay and conditions for teachers in early childhood education, kindergarten, kōhanga and puna reo, pacific language centres and more.
The best way to make a difference is to join your union.
The more early childhood teachers who stand together for change, the greater your power in negotiating the changes that you’d like to see. Can you encourage one colleague to join today?
You can also sign our open letter, calling on the Government to put children at the heart of their decisions and back quality early education for all.
The number one issue raised by kaiako and kaimahi is poor teacher to child ratios.
NZEI Te Riu Roa calls on all political parties to support urgent implementation of better teacher to child ratios in early childhood education.
Improving ratios is the first step to solving the issues around funding, workload, learning support for ākonga, and ensuring the wellbeing of kaiako and kaimahi.
All early childhood teachers are qualified professionals who deserve to be paid fairly for their work.
In 2002, kindergarten teachers were the first group to win pay parity with their colleagues teaching in primary and secondary, followed by early childhood teachers in 2020.
Now, with the Government cutting pay parity for all new and relieving early childhood teachers, as well as those on fixed-term contracts, being a union member and winning changes through collective agreements is the best way to lock in pay parity entitlements and improve your conditions at work.
Every child – no matter where they live or how much their whānau earn – should have access to quality early childhood education services that suit their needs, culture, and community.
NZEI Te Riu Roa recommends that government work towards full public provision of early childhood education. Payroll for teachers and staff should be centralised and fees should be capped, progressing to fees-free provision.
Investing in early childhood education is the best investment we can make to ensure the future success of our tamariki and Aotearoa.
Take a look at our current campaigns and find out how you can get involved.
NZEI Te Riu Roa is committed to the protection and upholding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We believe in the power of unity and the importance of working together to ensure that the rights and interests of our members, and all Māori, are respected and advanced.
Initial Teacher Education (ITE) plays a vital role in our education system, preparing future teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to begin teaching.
Studying to become an educator? In your first 5 years of teaching? Te Kupenga Rangatahi (New Educators Network) is a great way to make sure you get the best start to your teaching career.
The 2026 scholarship applications round open Saturday 2 February 2025 and close on Friday 2 May 2025. To learn more about the application process, what to expect and how to write a good application, check out the article linked below.
The largest survey of the early childhood sector in Aotearoa in recent years, Kōriporipo, shines a light on the immense pressures facing ECE kaiako and kaimahi and makes recommendations that could transform the sector.