Your union - A Guide to NZEI for all worksites
This booklet is designed to give you an overview of NZEI Te Riu Roa activities and support available. It will help you know how to have your say, support other members, get involved in union activities and seek help when needed. It will be sent out to worksites shortly.
Primary Teachers Lump Sum Payment
If you were an NZEI member and employed as a teacher or short or long term relieving teacher in a school covered by the Primary Teachers Collective Agreement on November 30 2007 you are eligible for the lump sum payment that formed part of the settlement. More details can be found here.
NZEI Scholarships
Now's the time to register your ‘Expression of Interest’ for the 2008 NZEI Early Childhood and Support Staff Scholarships. NZEI scholarships provide a great opportunity to further your career. Begin planning your proposal now!
Read more about the scholarships here.
Study Awards
As part of the 2007-2010 Collective Agreement Bargaining round, NZEI have negotiated a range of opportunites for members to enhance their practice and/or engage in qualifications eg: Area School and Primary Teacher Sabbaticals and Area School Teacher Study Support Grants.
Negotiated in previous bargaining rounds and again offered in 2008 (for the 2009 Academic Year) are Study Awards for Primary and Area School Teachers, Study Awards and Sabbaticals for Principals together with a range of Blingual Education, Special Education and other Fellowships and Prestigious Awards.
Full information is available on the Summary Sheet accessed here.
Application form information is outlined in this Summary Sheet.
Families Day - 15 May 2008
The Families Commission is challenging New Zealanders to Get Together on Families Day. 15 May 2008 is all about making a special effort to spend time with your family. 
To help groups organise an event for Families Day the Commission has launched a new section on its website where organisers can register events; pick up inspiration and tips on how to publicize them.
Visit: www.nzfamilies.org.nz or contact justine.storey@nzfamilies.org.nz
New Collective Agreements ratified
NZEI members have overwhelmingly voted in favour of the new collective agreements for primary school teachers, primary principals, area school teachers, area school principals, school support staff and Kaiarahi i te Reo, therapists, ATSSD and Special Education Assistants Collective Agreement (KRCA). Read more.
Read details of the settlements:
Support staff and
Please contact your field staff if you have any queries about the new agreements.
New Collective Agreements - some common queries
Back Pay
At this stage the Ministry of Education are still on target to make all the payouts to primary and area school teachers and principals (the new rates, the lump sums, the Principals Leading literacy and Numeracy payment, unit value increase, supplementary and decile grant increases along with the applicable backpay) on March 26th.
Because of the complexity of support staff pay, the back pay will be paid on May 7th.
Experience Payment for Principals
For those principals who qualified for the previous "additional payment" under the old criteria there will be no change to how the replacement "experience payment" is paid out.
For principals who have now become eligible (ie they have completed three years current continuous service in a state or state integrated school - not necessarily at the same school as long as there was no break in continuous service between schools), the Ministry will be writing to their Board of Trustees chair shortly and asking them to confirm that the principal has been attested against the professional standards. Once that form has been returned to MoE the payment will be activated and will be backdated to 21 December (or whatever later date applies to individual cases).
In future, the Ministry will be sending those letters about a month before the principal reaches their three year mark.
Year 7/8 Teachers who are NZEI members and are employed in Year 7-13 schools
These teachers are all eligible for the $750 lump sum, but they will not get it on March 26th because the Ministry needs to confirm who are NZEI mebmers in these schools. NZEI is working with the Ministry to ensure this situation is dealt with urgently.
New Early Childhood Education Collective Agreement (formerly Consenting Parties) ratified
Hundreds of early childhood teachers are to receive pay rises of around five percent each year for two years following the successful settlement of the Early Childhood Education Collective Agreement of Aotearoa.
The agreement negotiated by the education union NZEI Te Riu Roa covers 160 centres and 1,000 teachers. It is the only multi-employer agreement in the early childhood education sector. It has been ratified by members, with a vote of 98% in favour, and means from July 1st, 2008, a beginning teacher with a degree will have a starting salary of $37,301. More
ANZ Offshoring of Jobs
ANZ National announced a proposal that over the next 12-18 months they would move work done here to Bangalore, India. This would affect around 5% of staff or between 400 and 500 people. This would be the largest offshoring of jobs ever in the New Zealand Banking industry.
Take action now. Please click here http://www.finsec.org.nz/ to send a message to ANZ National CEO Graham Hodges opposing the offshoring of New Zealand jobs.
NZEI Rural and Teaching Principals' Conference 2008
The NZEI Rural and Teaching Principals' conference is being held at The Convention Centre in Palmerston North between 27 and 29 May. www.nzeiu124.org.nz
Have your say about NZEI's future
NZEI is a “worthy organisation” that has become a bit complacent. While there is no crisis, NZEI is underperforming given its real potential. NZEI has a record of demonstrable success, and is a highly effective union. Do you think these statements are true, false, or both? Why?
NZEI is undertaking a review of its structures and how it operates with the aim of lifting its influence and improving its performance. The first stage of the review to be undertaken between now and June involves pin-pointing the key challenges facing NZEI. The second stage will involve implementing necessary changes. Have your say on our on-line forum at http://www.nzei.org.nz/forum
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa
The draft curriculum for teaching and learning in Maori medium primary and secondary kura is now available. NZEI believes teachers in both Maori and English medium will find knowledge of Te Marautanga beneficial.
Read more about it, including guidance on making a submission.
New NZEI Resources for Beginning Teachers
The induction of new teachers into the profession is of vital importance. It is most effective when it occurs within a collaborative environment and with collegial support. NZEI strongly supports beginning teachers in a range of ways, and urges all members to welcome newly registered teachers to the profession.
Whether you are a new teacher or a member supporting them, you can download new PRT booklets and other resources for beginning teachers. New early childhood teachers and their tutors can also access new PRT information and useful links.