Teachers from across the country have taken to the streets today to protest the pay and working conditions in their profession.
Primary and secondary school teachers — a 50,000-strong workforce — have walked off the job for a day of strike action.
It's the country's largest industrial strike action from the education sector since May 2019.
It's led to the closure of most schools today, with around 800,000 students affected.
People in main city centres should expect to see strike action, and delays or road closures are expected.
Primary and secondary school teachers - a 50,000-strong workforce - walked off the job for the day. (Source: 1News)
The organiser of today's strike told 1News an estimated 9000 people have joined the protest action in Auckland.
New Zealand Educational Institute president Mark Potter last week told Breakfast "there are some big issues that we need addressed".
"Pay is one of those, but more importantly the conditions and resourcing and staffing that teachers need to do their job," he said.
Potter called for more investment in training more teachers, and keeping teachers in the workforce.
"It's a very difficult decision for any teacher to go on strike, we love our job, we love doing what we do.
"However, it is that important, a statement had to be made."
Kura teacher Awhina Green told 1News Māori teachers "have to go through substantially more training" to continue teaching in the classroom.
She called for fairer pay and conditions in order to "stay in the classroom and deliver our taonga to our kids which is their reo".
Fellow teacher Dot Singh said reo Māori teachers are battling retention problems and burnout.
"Our reo Māori speakers are doing it in their own time. They're upskilling on the weekends and after school so why would it be attractive if we're getting hardly any pay for it?" she said.
Education Minister Jan Tinetti this morning told Breakfast she is "very disappointed it's come to this".
"We know that it's been a really tough time for teachers over the past couple of years, like it has been for everybody but my heart specifically goes out to our teachers and what they've had to do to to get our young people through Covid," she said.
"We know that conditions are tough at the moment, I know this better than anyone, this was my life's work, I've stood where they're standing today as well in the past."
Tinetti was heckled by protesters shouting "walk the talk" and "do your job" as she spoke outside Parliament this afternoon.
In a statement, the acting president of the Post Primary Teachers’ Association, Chris Abercrombie, told 1News the PPTA "cannot rule out further industrial action until we have real assurances that the Government is open to improving its offer for the settlement of the collective agreements".
"PPTA Te Wehengarua members are committed to achieving a collective agreement that provides salary rates and conditions that will keep skilled and experienced teachers in the classroom, make secondary teaching a first choice career for graduates and encourage ex teachers to return to the profession," he said.
"Today’s action and any further action is about making a stand for the quality and future of secondary education in Aotearoa New Zealand."
The Ministry of Education met with NZEI on Tuesday in a last-minute bid to find an agreement. However, NZEI said no formal offer was tabled and it has asked the ministry to return to the negotiating table next week.
"NZEI Te Riu Roa has asked the Ministry to return to the negotiating table to see if we can make further progress as swiftly as possible," Potter told 1News today in a statement.
"As a democratic union our members will determine our next steps at each stage of negotiations."
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