Update on Collective Agreement negotiation for secondary teachers
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Last updated 31 July 2025
Since 17 June 2025, the Ministry of Education bargaining team, who are representing the Public Service Commissioner, has been negotiating with the New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association | Te Wehengarua (PPTA) in good faith to address pay and conditions for around 32,100 people working as secondary teachers in state and state integrated schools.
An offer was presented to PPTA on 16 July 2025 and was rejected by the PPTA Executive on 23 July 2025.
For those with access to annual service-based progression, the offer would have provided increases of between 8.5% and 17.8%, including annual progression over the term of the collective agreement.
For those at the top of the scale the offer would have provided a 3% increase ($1,030 each year) over the term of the collective agreement, taking their annual base pay to $106,210.
Key elements of the offer
1% increases each year for the term of the collective agreement: effective from 23 July 2025 for trained and untrained teachers (teachers without a teaching qualification operating on a Limited Authority to Teach).
Introduction of a Principal Nominee allowance: of $2,500 for a teacher to maintain and manage qualification assessment practices and to act as the key contact with the New Zealand Qualification Authority (NZQA) for the school.
Recognition of prior experience: of untrained teachers who consequently train and transition into trained teacher roles.
Flexibility for Learning Support Coordinators: allowing for appointment of part-time coordinators for greater employment flexibility.
Agreement amendments to term breaks and when schools are not open for instruction: to allow employers to require teachers to attend school for an extra 10 days within their 12 weeks of non-contact time. This would limit disruption for students and whānau. It provides greater flexibility for Teachers’ professional development to happen outside of term time.
The Letter of Offer and Terms of Settlement, including other elements of the offer is available here
The current base pay scale for secondary teachers covered by 2022 to 2025 collective agreement ranges from $61,329 to $103,086.
Teachers may also receive allowances, management units and other payments. There is no standard pay for teachers. What teachers are paid is dependent on where they are on the base pay scale and a mix of units, allowances and other payments.
The average salary for all secondary teachers in 2024 was $100,933.
The average starting salary for secondary teachers in 2024 was $78,300.
Teachers who are not at the top of the base pay scale are also entitled to annual service-based pay progression of between $2,503 and $6,960. In percentage terms, pay progression ranges from 3.9% and 7.7%.
Additional information about teacher and principal remuneration and demographic trends is available in the resources section of this web page.
For more information on the existing Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement
