Primary teachers are celebrating a "huge win" after accepting the latest pay offer from the Ministry of Education after months of protests and strikes.
New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa confirmed on Wednesday they had accepted the Government's fourth offer put to teachers.
The accepted offer comes after a long negotiation campaign, highlighted by the largest education strike in New Zealand's history.
NZEI said a majority of primary teachers voted in an independent secret ballot to accept the latest Ministry of Education collective agreement offer, which will see better pay and working conditions
The key features of the agreement will see classroom release time more than double - from 10 to 25 hours a term.
Pay packets will increase by six percent in July and at least 4.28 percent in 2024, alongside a $4500 lump sum payment for union members next month.
NZEI is describing the deal as a "huge win".
"There was very high participation in the ballot and there have been a range of opinions on this offer. The majority view - to accept the offer -may be one that some members don't personally agree with. However, as a union, we operate democratically: every member has a chance to have a say and get a vote so that we make decisions collectively," NZEI said.
"We know there is still more work to be done. Not all challenges we face as a sector can be fixed in our collective agreement. For today, let's focus on what we have achieved."
The agreement also includes "significant" increases in Māori Immersion Teacher Allowance, the introduction of the Pasifika Bilingual Immersion Teaching Allowance, a rise in the reliever pay cap, and provisional to full certification costs paid for beginning teachers.
NZEI Te Riu Roa president Mark Potter told AM on Wednesday the accepted offer is a long time coming, but there is still work to be done.
"We're pleased we've finally had an offer the members can accept. It has taken a long time to get to this stage and I think the members will be pleased they can finally put this bit to rest, but there's still more work to do," Potter told AM co-host Laura Tupou.
"We know the pay has increased, but it's not increased enough to suit all the issues that we are trying to address."
He told AM it was "very good" to see a payment for teaching council fees included in the agreement as it's been something teachers have been "struggling with", especially as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.
NZEI said the next step following the accepted offer is to address further pay concerns and continue to provide better work conditions for teachers.
"We have the opportunity to further address pay and the historic undervaluation of teacher work through our teacher Mana Taurite," NZEI said.
"There is still more to be done to achieve smaller classes and better support for tamariki with learning needs. NZEI Te Riu Roa will be making sure this work is front and centre for the recently announced Ministerial Staffing Advisory Group and through the implementation and resourcing of the government's High Needs Review."
At the end of last month, the Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) suspended all industrial strike action after a meeting with Education Minister Jan Tinetti as well as waiting on a revised government offer.
Other high-profile pay and conditions disputes in New Zealand that have caused disruptive strikes - including those involving secondary school teachers and nurses - remained ongoing.
