Major pay boosts are on offer for Kōhanga Reo teachers and support staff.
The average salary of a kaiako (teacher) has been $44,000. A minimum wage salary is $47,216 as of April this year.
"This is a big moment, for decades now Kōhanga Reo/kaiako have been paid significantly less than their counterparts and this fixes that," Associate Education Minister (Māori) Kelvin Davis told 1News.
"Previously each whānau in each Kōhanga Reo determined what the pay rates were for their kaiako so now with the pay scale it's easier for kaiako to see the progressions they'll make over a number of years."
At Kōhanga Reo, tamariki are immersed in te reo Māori and Māori kaupapa (principles).
It comes after decades of being paid much less than other teachers. (Source: 1News)
Around 2000 staff stand to benefit from the pay rises but at the moment only a third of centres have signed up for the new pay framework, which includes using a set payroll system and completing new employment agreements with staff.
A Government press release said 380 centres, of around 460 Kōhanga in total, are expected to sign up by later in the year.
"It's early days; as the Kōhanga Reo National Trust goes around the country and talks to each of the whānau I'm sure that everybody will see the benefits," Davis said.
The pay scale starts with teachers that have three years experience and an Initial Teacher Education qualification receiving $58,000, unqualified support teachers receiving $46,740 and an unqualified administrator salary starting at $51,300.
A qualified teacher at the top of the pay scale will receive $99,413. This requires at least nine years continuous experience as a kaiako with successful performance reviews and being responsible for at least four kaiako and/or at least six support staff.
Most steps require fluency in te reo Māori.
Experienced teacher salaries in the mid range of the pay scale earn less than what experienced kindergarten teachers receive under their 2019-2022 collective agreement.
For example, a qualified kaiako on step 4 with nine years experience will receive $66,133. If they hold a Masters degree, only three years experience is required.
After completing eight years of teaching, a kindergarten teacher with a teaching degree earns $79,413 when they reach step 9. A kindergarten teacher with a higher qualification, such as a postgraduate diploma after completing a Bachelor of Arts, can achieve this pay rate after six years of teaching.
"This is a great start, we'll always be working with the Kōhanga Reo National Trust and how we can improve staffing and improve conditions for the kaiako," Davis said.
In 1982, Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust was established after years of concern te reo Māori was endangered as a language.
In 2012, the Waitangi Tribunal found the Government's early childhood education system failed to provide the conditions Kōhanga Reo needed to sustain "language transmission and whānau development".
These failures were considered Treaty breaches in the areas of partnership and equity.
In a press release, Davis said an additional $76 million is being allocated to improve pay over the next five years and is part of the Crown's response to the Waitangi Tribunal claim.
In 2020, an additional $200 million funding went to Te Kōhanga Reo to improve and property conditions.
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