A teachers' union is defending holding a strike next week which will see teachers walk off the job during school hours.
Around 30,000 primary school teachers will be going on strike around the country on Thursday after rejecting a second pay offer.
Secondary school and kindergarten teachers are also striking on Thursday, which will mean up to 50,000 teachers will be taking industrial action in total.
New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) president Mark Potter told AM on Friday union members want the Government to increase their pay offers to help attract and retain staff.
"What we're actually looking for is a variety of differences across the sector because there are a variety of teaching positions, roles and responsibilities," Potter told AM co-host Ryan Bridge.
"So between teachers and principals, what we're looking for is a fair pay structure, one that actually rewards but also values the jobs that people are doing and that's just not the case right now."
But the strike has come under scrutiny, with questions raised about why it needs to be held during school hours.
Numerous parents emailed AM on Friday morning saying they were against the timing of the strike and AM co-host Melissa Chan-Green slammed the disruption it will cause for children's education after a year of disturbances.
Potter said they considered striking when it would have less disruption to students, but decided it was more important to do it in a way that would get the Government's attention.
"You've got to understand how hard it is for teachers to choose that, but you've also got to understand how hard it is right now for teachers in the profession," Potter said
"We are talking consistent disruption over many, many years now without the right conditions, without the right kind of pay structure to keep people in the workforce."
Potter said there was a "very strong vote" for the strike, which was "well beyond" 50 percent, but wouldn't give specific figures.
The consumer price index (CPI) rate was 7.2 percent for the December quarter and Potter said they're trying to get a pay rise in line with that.
"We're looking for somewhere close to the CPI, which will actually make a big difference for us, remembering that they were already a lowly paid profession compared to other professions around them," he told AM.
"We are looking for something that will get closer to that. We're not expecting that we will necessarily get that, but we would like to get much closer than we currently are."
PPTA acting president Chris Abercrombie told AM he understands parents' frustration but they're striking so children can receive a better education.
"I'd say we are striking for the students. I've got a young family. I want my children to have a history teacher, a PE teacher, a maths teacher. That at the moment is not guaranteed, so that's why we're striking," he said.
When asked if there is any chance the strike won't go ahead next Thursday, Abercrombie said the ball is in the Government's court.
"We're always happy to talk to the ministry, but this is firmly in the Government's court. The Government is the one that can stop this. They can stop this today if they chose to, but they are not."
Abercrombie said the sector desperately needs more teachers as some schools are not meeting their requirements.
"I know for instance that in some areas, Auckland for instance, at the start of this year, three-quarters of the secondary schools did not meet their full criteria for teaching staff," he said.
"So there's an element of relievers, there are short-term positions, etc, but when I say qualified, say it's a physics class it might not be a physics teacher."
The president of Te Tai Tokerau principals association said the staffing crisis in the area has gone "beyond a joke" and has reached a point where the health and safety of principals and teachers are at risk.
"The absolute lack of relievers to cover staff illness, to cover release time for our Teaching Principals is a situation that needs proactive drastic action by the Ministry. We have waited far too long to have this happen, and we are now past crisis point," said Pat Newman, President of Te Tai Tokerau Principals Association.
Newman is calling for a solution previously used in the 1980s.
"We need to establish as they did in the 1980s, a pool of relievers attached to a school full time, but available to relieve at a days' notice in adjourning schools," he said.
"We need to make wages and conditions suitable to retain and attract these relievers. The current situation cannot continue, it's a massive health and safety issue looming if not here already."
Mark Williamson, senior manager of employment relations and pay equity at the Ministry of Education, said the disruption of learners should be avoided if possible.
"We have been working through PPTA’s priorities with them over recent months and made some progress towards a renewed offer when we met the PPTA again at the start of this month," Williamson said in a statement.
"However, there are still some outstanding issues, and we are seeking to meet the union again so that we can make that offer in advance of further strike action on 16 March."
Education Minister Jan Tinetti said she has huge respect for teachers and is disappointed there has been a breakdown in negotiations.
She wouldn't comment on the strike because of the collective bargaining process but has been assured the Ministry is focused on reaching settlements for teachers and principals that address key priorities and give members certainty for the future.
The Greens said they support the teachers in their request for fair pay and the decision to strike.
“Teachers make a huge contribution to our communities and teaching should be an attractive profession," the Green Party’s education spokesperson Teanau Tuiono said.
"Children have their whole lives ahead of them and our teachers can have a huge personal impact on them. Nearly every one of us will remember a teacher who helped inspire us. But, it is also true to say that the work is demanding and underpaid."
