Secondary school teachers across the country have staged a day of protest against the government’s proposed 1% pay increase over the next three years amid a breakdown in collective agreement negotiations.

The action caused most secondary schools to close while staff joined rallies in Auckland and other centres.

The Post-Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) is advocating for a 4% increase over three years, accompanied by enhanced support for pastoral care, head of department and dean responsibilities, and additional professional development.

Teachers say the dispute is about more than just pay, pointing to rising workloads, larger classes, and pressure on retention.

Teachers ‘annoyed’ by Judith Collins’ comment

PPTA president Chris Abercrombie said teachers felt undervalued, especially in light of Public Service Minister Judith Collins’ comments that “secondary school teachers with 10 years’ experience got paid $147,000.”

“I know teachers, when she misspoke the $147,000, they were really annoyed by that, because I’ve been teaching for 20 years, I’ve been the head of department, and I’ve been nowhere close to that. So for her to get up and say that was really disappointing,” Abercrombie said.

The pressures in the classroom

Westlake Boys’ High School teacher Johnny Waititi added that teachers carry multiple responsibilities that go well beyond the classroom.

“E mōhio ana tātou ngā mahi o te kaiako Māori, he maha ngā pōtae. Kaimanaaki, kaiwepu, nēhi, kaipūtea. Ko te oranga o te kaiako Māori, moata i te ata, tae noa ki te pō.”

Takapuna College teacher Tina Peters, who has taught for 11 years, said the role had become increasingly demanding.

“I’ve seen some really hard things in kura, and so you almost take on a sort of, another layer of those kids’ lives.

“You’re not only teaching them in a classroom, you’re looking after them and being there for them on a whole different kind of space,” she said.

Government pushes back

However, the government has rejected claims that teachers are undervalued.

Minister of Education Erica Stanford, who has come under fire from teachers, said she was incredibly disappointed with the strike.

“We’re in the middle of negotiations at the moment. It’s a real shame that the PPTA haven’t been bargaining in good faith.”

Associate Education Minister David Seymour said teachers had been treated well.

He pointed to recent pay settlements and extra classroom support as evidence of that.

“They’ve had 14% pay rises in the last 3 years, most New Zealanders who have been paying the taxes for it have had nothing like that. They’ve also got additional funding to help with teacher aides.”

Ngā panonitanga kei tua

He nui ngā whakarerekētanga kei te kitea e ngā kaiako kura tuarua o Aotearoa, pērā i te whakakorenga o te marautanga ako NCEA.

Hei tā Waititi, kua tae mai te wā kia whakamōhoutia katoatia te rāngai mātauranga o Aotearoa.

Ka mutu, ko te hiahia o ngā kaiako, kia āta whakaarotia rātou e te kāwanatanga, me ō rātou nā nawe.

“E te kāwanatanga, hakarongo mai ki ēnei īnoi, hakarongo mai ki ngā reo o ngā taitamariki, hakarongo mai ki ō rātou wawata, ō rātou tūmanako,” te kī a Waititi.

Hei tua atu, ko te wehe ki whenua kē tētahi aronga o ngā kaiako i ēnei rā.

Hei tā William Watling, kaiako o Whangaparāoa College, me tautāwhi, me manaaki hoki ngā kaiako, kei wehe te hunga whakawhanake i ngā rangatahi ki tāwāhi.

“You want people to stay in the country, not go to Australia or go overseas as well. I think it’s really important to support people who are whānau.

“I think that’s what the government should do, really,” te kī a Watling.