Pay equity for teachers | Mana Taurite

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The pay equity claim for teachers is currently underway. This is the largest pay equity claim in Aotearoa, covering over 90,000 teachers and principals working in schools, kindergartens and education and care settings. As registered teachers, principals are included in this claim.

As teachers we are highly skilled professionals who work creatively, flexibly and with responsibility to our students and whānau. However, our work is often under recognised.

Pay equity gives us the opportunity to win corrections to pay and conditions and to feel truly valued for the work we do.

Throughout this pay equity claim we are working with the Ministry of Education and early childhood education employer representatives. The claim covers kaiako from early childhood education through to secondary school, so we are also working alongside the PPTA Te Wehengarua.

What will pay equity mean for me?

The pay equity process is about addressing the historic and current undervaluation in both pay and status in roles that society has perceived to be ‘women’s work’. The process determines if there has been undervaluation and if so, this is corrected.

All teachers and principals working in schools, kindergartens and education and care settings are covered by the claim, regardless of gender.

Where we’re at

Interviews with around 300 kaiako and tumuaki (and their managers or board chairs) have been completed to build a picture of the skills, responsibilities, demands and working conditions that are required for the many different roles that teachers have. NZEI Te Riu Roa members were part of the group of interviewers.

Right now, we are working with the PPTA Te Wehengarua, Ministry of Education and early childhood education employer representatives to analyse the data from the transcripts to build a picture of teaching work.

The next step in the process is that we will invite you to have your say and give us your feedback. We want to ensure that every aspect of your job is captured accurately in our investigation.

Click here to see the steps to pay equity.

What it will take to win pay equity

We’ll win pay equity by working together. We need to accurately illustrate the wide-ranging work responsibilities of kaiako and tumuaki, and build public support for our profession to ensure the government sees how important this issue is within our communities.