Who is covered by the collective agreement#

Primary teachers covered by the agreements are:

• employed in state or state-integrated schools and kura
• members of the primary teachers’ union, New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI Te Riu Roa).

Download the Primary Teachers' Collective Agreement (PTCA).

Speech-language therapists who are covered by the Therapists’ Pay Equity Claim Settlement have additional terms and conditions not reflected in the PTCA. 

Who is covered by an individual employment agreement#

The individual employment agreements (IEAs) below have been promulgated by the Public Service Commissioner.

You need to sign an IEA if:

• your work is covered by the PTCA, but
• you are not a member of the NZEI Te Riu Roa

See each type of IEA for primary teachers:

Newly promulgated IEAs#

Following settlement of the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement (PTCA), the Secretary for Education has promulgated 3 separate IEAs for:

• permanent primary teachers
• long term relievers
• short term (day relief) relievers.

These IEAs reflect the terms and conditions of the recently ratified PTCA 2026-2028.

Effective date

The new IEA  must be signed by both the employer and employee, and is effective from the later of the date it is signed on behalf of the board or by the teacher.

Teachers who already signed the March 2026 IEA

The March 2026 IEA was also effective from whichever was later: the date it was signed by either the teacher, or on behalf of the board. Those terms of employment continue until they are replaced, by the board and teacher signing the newly promulgated IEA.

There's no additional pay increase for a teacher who signed the March 2026 IEA if they sign the new April 2026 IEA. The initial pay rates will be the same, but the new (15 April 2026) IEA incorporates a further increase to unit rates to $5,500 per unit per annum from 2 October 2028.

Other changes to terms and conditions in the new offer include:

• an increase to the camp allowance from the start of the 2027 school year
• changes to disregarded sick leave provisions
• making the Associate Teacher Allowance a minimum rate.

Teachers who don't sign the April 2026 IEA

If a teacher doesn’t sign the new IEA then they remain on their current terms and conditions of employment. If the teacher joins NZEI they move onto the terms of the Collective Agreement.

Pay and allowances#

The amount you can be paid as a teacher depends on your qualifications, experience and whether you qualify for any units or allowances.

Pay, allowances and classroom release time for primary school teachers are set out in part 3 of the collective agreement.

Māori immersion and Pacific Bilingual Immersion Teacher Allowances#

Definition of levels of the Māori Immersion Teacher Allowance are in Schedule 1 of the collective agreement. Further details of the allowance are in part 3.17 and Appendix 9.

Details of the Pacific Bilingual Immersion Teacher Allowance are in part 3.36 and Appendix 9.

Staffing incentive and priority teacher supply allowances#

The allowances apply to teachers employed in schools or kura identified by us as needing additional support for recruitment and retention.

Isolation allowance#

Primary school teachers are entitled to an isolation allowance if they are employed at a school or kura in a location deemed isolated.

The rate of the allowance will vary depending on the location. Part-time teachers will receive the allowance on a pro-rata basis.

See the list of eligible primary schools.

Schools that are eligible for the above allowances may be changed by us up to once a year, after consultation with employee representatives. 

For more information, contact us. 
Email: [email protected]

Te Aho o te Kura Pounamu teachers#

Te Kura teachers have special employment conditions and allowances. These are in part 8 of the collective agreement.

More information#

EdPay has more information about salaries, allowances and other payments for primary teachers.

A-Z of payroll – Education Payroll

Moving costs#

If you are moving to work at another school, you may be entitled to removal expenses. This is in part 6 of the collective agreement.

To apply for a lump sum payment or reimbursement of other expenses, complete the following forms.

Leave#

Leave entitlements are set out in part 4 of the collective agreement.

Disregarded sick leave#

Information about disregarded sick leave eligibility and the application form are below.

Resignation, dismissal and retirement#

Both you and your school must follow the correct processes and procedures to manage your resignation, dismissal or retirement.

This is set out in parts 2 and 10 of the collective agreement.