More than 700 board of trustees chairs have signed a letter calling for primary principals to get a better pay deal.
Addressed to Minister for Education Chris Hipkins and Secretary for Education Iona Holsted, it wants the Government to address the issues around pay parity and workload.
"Primary principals do an amazing job for their schools and communities, and we think they deserve a collective agreement offer that reflects their considerable skills and responsibilities," the letter says.
"We urge you to move quickly to propose a settlement that will address the issues that principals face and ensure we can attract and keep excellent leaders in these vital roles."
It comes after the rejection of their latest pay offer in June, with principals voting to disengage from ministry-led work groups.
Teachers union president Lynda Stuart said principals deserved an offer that reflected their huge workload and responsibility for everything from student learning and staff wellbeing to property management and ministry paperwork.
The letter will appear in 11 newspapers around the country today.
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