Major investment in teacher supply

Budget 24 provides a $53 million investment in the teacher workforce of the future.

The funding grows and maintains the pipeline of teachers by investing in the onsite training of teachers in state and state-integrated schools, encouraging the relocation of overseas-qualified teachers and New Zealand teachers based overseas, and contributing towards overseas recruitment costs for schools and early learning services.

This funding supports the overseas recruitment of other child-facing education workforces and retention of our current workforce through targeted career development opportunities and continuing a programme that matches beginning teachers with schools experiencing recruitment and retention issues.

This funding in is addition to the ongoing initiatives that aim to attract, train and retain teachers. Full details, including how to become a teacher in New Zealand are on the Education Workforce website.

Education Workforce website(external link)

Teacher supply supports

  • $53 million

Funding is provided to:

  • Offer 1200 School Onsite Training Programme (SOTP) places for aspiring teachers to train in the classroom. Funding is for 4 years and expands the programme to include primary and intermediate as well as secondary.
  • Provide $20,000 per placement to make it easier for SOTP teachers to train, by providing a stipend toward living and training expenses, a tuition fees contribution, and funding for the host school.
  • Allow for up to 300 Overseas Relocation Grants for teachers relocating from overseas, and 425 Overseas Finders Fees to schools and early learning services to help with additional overseas recruitment costs.
  • Continue to provide 130 places annually in the BeTTER Jobs Programme to connect beginning and returning teachers with schools facing recruitment or retention challenges.
  • Adjust the funding of 670 study awards and support grants offered to trained teachers each year to match current teacher salary rates. Continue funding processing roles at the Teaching Council to continue improving registration processing times.

How is this being funded?

Vote Education investment is funded through a mix of new Crown funding and reprioritisation of existing Vote Education baseline.

In total Vote Education savings are around $429 million.

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