If your household was disrupted by the teacher's strike, get ready for more.
Tens of thousands of teachers rallied all over the country on Wednesday in their first full-day strike for 24 years.
- Streamed live: Primary teachers march up Auckland's Queen St
- As it happened: Two-day primary teachers' strike on the cards
- Primary teachers to strike on Wednesday, is it the high school teachers' turn?
The Government's adamant the offer they've made is fair. However teachers are unwilling to compromise, and are threatening a two-day strike if they don't get what they want from the Government.
In 1998, first-year teachers earned 15 percent more than the median wage. Now, their starting salary is 1 percent below it.
The union wants a 16 percent pay rise, but it also wants more support teaching those with learning difficulties and smaller class sizes.
The Government is committed to going back to the negotiating table, but says the offer as it stands is fair. That offer would boost the top-scale salary to just over $80,000, and an entry salary to just over $55,000.
"It's double what they were getting under the previous government, but in nine months in government we can't make up for the nine years of neglect," says Education Minister Chris Hipkins.
However, teachers are refusing to back down, and a vote to escalate their protest to a future two-day strike was met with thunderous support.
They hope the threat of the strike will force the Government to make more of an effort to meet their demands.
"We're frustrated, we've had a gutsful - I've poured my heart out [for] 18 years in the profession," one teacher told Newshub.
"I haven't done it for money, I've done it for the love and passion of the kids I've taught... I've got nothing left - we're sucked dry people, we're sucked dry."
But Mr Hipkins has a message for teachers taking action.
"I would be concerned if they're talking about further strike action now before they've even started further negotiations," he says.
Newshub.
