School Support Staff Collective Agreement Negotiation

May 2025 Update

Since October 2024, the Ministry of Education has been negotiating with NZEI Te Riu Roa in good faith to address pay and conditions for around 37,000 people working as teacher aides, librarians, science technicians and administration staff in state and state integrated schools. 

A revised offer was presented to NZEI Te Riu Roa on 16 May 2025.

Current pay rates for staff covered by this collective agreement are wide ranging from $24.83 per hour to $59.27 per hour. The offer provides flat rate increases for all staff in each year of the agreement as well as lump sum payments in years 2 and 3. Staff on lower pay rates will receive immediate increases of 2.4%. 

For those with access to annual service-based progression, their pay will increase between 4.2% and 13.3% over the term of the agreement, which includes their existing annual progression. 

Key elements of the offer include:  

• Flat rate increases for all staff:  an increase of 60 cents per hour in year 1, an increase of 15 cents per hour in year 2, and an increase of 25 cents per hour in year 3 of the collective agreement.
• Lump sum payments for all staff: $300 for full-time staff, $250 for part-time staff in years 2 and 3 of the collective agreement. 
• Communication with schools regarding teacher aides on extended fixed-term agreements: communication to encourage schools to consider a review of employment arrangements to ensure any fixed-term agreements are for genuine reasons based on reasonable grounds.
• Professional Learning Development (PLD) fund: of up to $9 million over the three-year term. Focus of the PLD will be on support for support staff who work directly with students who experience behavioural or learning needs associated with neurodiversity.
• Increasing the motor vehicle allowance: from 62 cents to 83 cents per kilometre.

Previous offers can be found in the resources section of this web page.