[FAQ] Membership Subscription Rates

Subscription rates usually change once a year.  

This year, we moved the start of our financial year from 1 April to 1 July to align with the Maramataka year, delaying this year's adjustment by three months.

The actual rate of increase and the thresholds at which each rate becomes payable are adjusted in line with the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) as at the end of March of the previous year (i.e. the 1 July 2026 membership rate is linked to the annual CPI increase as of 31 March 2025).

No action is required on your part if you pay by payroll deduction, a direct debit/credit card payment plan or by invoice. Payroll providers will change payments on their end and NZEI Te Riu Roa will organise changes to direct debit/credit card payments and invoices.  

Subscription rate changes are notified to members no later than 10 days before the change takes place. NZEI Te Riu Roa will try to notify members via email first. If we are unable to reach you via email, we will send a text and if we can’t reach you via text, we’ll send a letter. 

If you haven’t received emails from us in a while, please contact us to ensure we have your correct contact details.  

The new rates are indexed to the annual CPI for the year ended 31 March 2025. You can read NZEI Te Riu Roa Rules here.

In a tough economic and political environment, being an NZEI Te Riu Roa member is more important than ever. Your contribution ensures the union can support you when you need it, protect your rights, and win progress in our campaigns for quality teaching and learning and better pay and working conditions. 
 

Your membership subscription of NZEI Te Riu Roa will increase by between 7 cents to 75 cents a fortnight, depending on your income, from 1 July 2026, reflecting the annual CPI increase for the year ended 31 March 2025. Please refer to the subscription rates table below.

1 July 2026. 

If you no longer require membership, please request to cancel your membership here. So we can continue serving members in the best way possible, we would value your honest feedback about your reasons for ending your membership.

NZEI Te Riu Roa does not receive notification from employers when a member ceases employment with them, so it is important to contact us if you are no longer employed in a position eligible for union coverage by NZEI Te Riu Roa.

There is a one-month notice period for resignation of membership.
 

Your contribution - along with that of more than 45,000 other educators - ensures your union is there for you when it matters most.  

In the past year, our team responded to over 11,600 calls and 8,250 emails from members seeking support and advice. Our legal team represented 510 members in cases involving employers and professional bodies, and we’ve gone as far as the Court of Appeal to uphold the work of Resource Teachers of Literacy and RT Māori.  

Your collective action over the past year has won pay increases of 4.6% over the next 12 months for members in schools and kindergartens, along with important progress in working conditions for each sector – in spite of the Government’s tough bargaining parameters.  The modest adjustment in subscriptions now is essential to ensure the union can sustain this level of collective advocacy and individual support. 

How often you pay depends on how you choose to pay:

• If you pay by direct debit you can choose to pay fortnightly or monthly.
• If you pay by credit/debit card you can choose to pay fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, half yearly or yearly.
• If you opt to be invoiced and pay by direct credit to our bank account you can choose to pay three monthly, six monthly or annually.
• If you pay by payroll deduction, fees are deducted from you pay by your employer, each scheduled pay cycle.

If you chose to pay fortnightly, we recommend that you pay your subscription on the day after your pay goes into your bank account. This is because direct debit and credit card transactions are normally processed by the banks before salary and wage payments. We have no control over these timings.

NZEI Te Riu Roa subscription rates are bracketed, based on your gross fortnightly income (before tax and deductions).

The brackets are the same for everyone. However, there are options for you if you're a non-annualised support staff member, a reliever, or have varied hours. 

• If you are non-annualised support staff or your role isn’t paid all year around, please see this page for more information on how to calculate your subscriptions.
• If you are a reliever or your role has varying hours and income fortnight to fortnight, please see this page for more information on how to calculate your subscriptions.

NZEI Te Riu Roa does not receive information from members’ worksites about income, annualisation status, or members leaving their roles. If you pay by credit or direct debit and your subscription rate needs to change, please get in touch with our membership team. 

We can pause your membership payments if you are on parental leave, sick leave without pay or discretionary leave without pay. Please contact us to put your membership on hold.

Please let NZEI Te Riu Roa know when your leave is to commence and when it will cease. We will suspend your payments for the period of leave. Your membership will be retained during any period of leave without pay for up to fifteen months.

Please contact us to put your membership on hold.