Kua tae te wā


Kua Tae Te Wā involved eighteen months of tireless campaigning by members and a long period of deadlock. The campaign focused on making teaching an attractive and valued profession.
In September 2016, NZEI Te Riu Roa lodged a pay equity claim on behalf of all teacher aides. In 2019 a settlement was reached and teacher aides received pay increases and other benefits. As part of the terms of settlement, there must regular reviews to make sure that pay equity is maintained and your pay rates are still equitable.
The Ministry’s view is that the pay rates are still equitable and that no pay adjustment is needed, while our analysis is that teacher aide pay now lags up to 17% behind men doing work of equal skill and value. However, the process has stalled. Right now, teacher aides have the power to decide if they want to send the stalled review to Court to progress it.
As with all pay equity claims, this campaign centred on the systemic undervaluing of the work that teacher aides do. The reasons for this were:
The claim called for three key outcomes to address the inequality present for teacher aides.
The claim lodged by NZEI Te Riu Roa in 2016 stated that due to the issues listed above, teacher aides are likely to be underpaid, warranting further investigation.
The claim cited the same part of the Equal Pay Act used by Kristine Bartlett and E Tū as precedent for the Aged Care Workers settlement in 2015. The success of this claim laid the foundations for future pay equity claims in the education sector.
The pay equity settlement for teacher aides was endorsed in 2020. The settlement included pay increases, changes to the way skills are assessed, a new allowance, changes to how much hours can be varied, and the development of career pathways.
Read the full Teacher Aide Pay Equity Settlement.
Pay equity evidence report
Check out more of the progress that NZEI Te Riu Roa members have achieved together.