A woman teacher sitting at a table in the centre of the frame listening to other teachers speak. She has shoulder-length blonde hair. A man next to her is using a laptop.
A woman teacher sitting at a table in the centre of the frame listening to other teachers speak. She has shoulder-length blonde hair. A man next to her is using a laptop.
Principals and schools

Specialist Residential Schools’ Collective Agreement

Update on Collective Agreement negotiation Specialist Residential Schools
A woman teacher sitting at a table in the centre of the frame listening to other teachers speak. She has shoulder-length blonde hair. A man next to her is using a laptop.
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Last updated 20 November 2025

Update on Collective Agreement negotiations for Specialist Residential Schools staff.

On 8 October 2025 the Specialist Residential Schools Collective Agreement (SRSCA 2025-2027) was settled with the PSA. 

This collective agreement covers approximately 144 union members and a further 97 people in these roles. 

The settlement provides pay rate increases to all staff (depending on their role and current pay scale step) ranging from 2.1% to 2.8% for residential staff and 1.2% to 2.7% for administration staff over the 22-month term of the Collective Agreement. 

The new rates will be effective from 8 October 2025 for employees who are PSA members.

An individual employment agreement was promulgated by the Secretary for Education on 19 November 2025 following the signing of the collective agreement on 13 November 2025. For employees who are not PSA members, the new rates will be effective from the date the employee and employer sign the IEA. This cannot be before the date the IEA was promulgated. Education Payroll Limited will pay the new rates once advised that the new IEA has been signed.

Check the Ministry's website for more information about this collective agreement
Visit education.govt.nz launch

Actions for schools and kura

  • Note the details of the settlement, including the new pay rates for people employed in roles covered by the collective agreement.
  • Note the step translation for staff in Grades B, C and D.
  • Offer the new individual employment agreement (IEA) to existing employees who are not PSA members but are working in roles covered by this new agreement.
  • Check that you are using the correct designation codes in payroll for your employees including non-covered employees.
  • Ensure you offer the new IEA to future SRSCA employees, should they choose not to be PSA members and thus are not covered by the collective agreement.
  • Update the offer of employment template letter that you are using for new employees to ensure this aligns with the new terms and conditions of the recently settled collective agreement (available from NZSBA).

Contact

For questions about the settlement or the new collective agreement contact Ministry’s ER team:  employment.relations@education.govt.nz.  

For general HR issues contact Te Whakarōpūtanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa New Zealand School Boards Association: eradvice@tewhakaroputanga.org.nz.

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