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ECE Voice

Early childhood teachers do an incredibly important job.

But their pay lags up to 52% behind kindergarten and primary teachers with the same skills, qualifications and responsibilities. That's not OK.

If we want Aotearoa to be the best place in the world to raise a child, valuing all of the teachers that work with them is a great place to start. We're asking the government to act now and fix the gap.

The ask

We're working towards better pay and conditions across the board in the ECE sector.

  1. Livable wages for all ECE Kaiako and support staff that reflect their expertise and the importance of their work.
  2. Lower ratios and more non-contact time to ensure tamariki get the attention and support they need.
  3. A Fair Pay Agreement for the sector, outlining minimum conditions as negotiated between kaiako and employers.

We demand improved ratios and staffing for ECE

The number one issue raised by kaiako and kaimahi working in ECE is the inadequate levels of ratios and staffing. We are calling on all political parties to support urgent implementation of better ratios in ECE.

If we improve ECE ratios we will be well on the way to solving the issues of funding, workload, learning support for ākonga and the wellbeing of kaiako and kaimahi.

ECE teachers deserve more

Right now, there’s a crisis in ECE. Low pay and underfunding mean thousands of teachers are leaving the profession every year. There’s a critical shortage of qualified ECE teachers. We’ve got more of our children in ECE than ever before, but there are fewer people training to be ECE teachers than 10 years ago. We aren’t keeping and attracting great teachers.

ECE teachers are asking the Government to urgently invest in our youngest children. We urgently need to fix the pay gap and fund services to provide quality care and education.

Investing in ECE means investing in our future

Every child, no matter where they live or how much their parents earn should have access to quality ECE services that suit their needs and community. Every teacher, no matter what age children they work with, is a teacher.

Parents need access to affordable quality care. Investing in ECE is the best investment we can make to ensure the future success of Aotearoa. Our children are the future.

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Value early childhood education? We need your voice! If you agree, join your voice with ours and let’s fix the pay gap in early childhood.

Related campaigns

Take a look at our current campaigns and find out how you can get involved.

Pay Equity for Teachers | Mana Taurite

  • Kaiako Kura
  • Tumuaki
  • Whare Kōhungahunga

The pay equity claim for teachers is currently underway. This is the largest pay equity claim in Aotearoa, covering over 90,000 teachers and principals working in schools, kindergartens and education and care settings. As registered teachers, principals are included in this claim. As teachers we are highly skilled professionals who work creatively, flexibly and with responsibility to our students and whānau. However, our work is often under recognised. Pay equity gives us the opportunity to win corrections to pay and conditions and to feel truly valued for the work we do. Throughout this pay equity claim we are working with the Ministry of Education and early childhood education employer representatives. The claim covers kaiako from early childhood education through to secondary school, so we are also working alongside the PPTA Te Wehengarua.

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