Kindergartens Aotearoa, a collective representing more than half of New Zealand’s kindergartens, supports funding
increases for non-kindergarten early childhood education services as long as it comes with pay parity.
Private employers are saying it is unfair that kindergartens get more funding that other services, and that kindergarten
teachers are generally paid more and have better employment conditions. We totally agree and support qualified early
childhood teachers to be covered by a national collective agreement, just like all teachers in the school sector.
Kindergartens Aotearoa represents eight regional kindergarten associations – Auckland, Inspired Kindergartens (Tauranga)
Kaitiaki Kindergartens (North Auckland), Kidsfirst Kindergartens (Canterbury Westland), Kindergarten Taranaki, Napier
Kindergartens, South Otago Kindergartens and Whānau Manaaki (lower North Island).
Together, the group operates 365 kindergartens and other early learning services around New Zealand, catering for 18,500
children and employing 2,300 teaching, advisory and support staff.
Kindergartens Aotearoa spokesperson Amanda Coulston says children and families are best served by a stable qualified
teaching workforce employed on professional conditions.
Below is an open letter that has gone to all our teachers, setting out our position.Open letter on pay parity in the early childhood education sector
Kindergartens Aotearoa is a collective of eight regional kindergarten associations employing over 1,800 qualified teachers. We support pay
parity for all qualified teachers in the early childhood education (ECE) sector and for it to be delivered through a
national collective employment agreement.
We know that many associations and other ECE service providers, qualified teachers and educators across the country
support this position.
Early childhood funding is in the news, with the Early Childhood Council representing employers in mainly
profit-oriented early childhood services criticising the level of funding given to kindergartens. It asks for fairness
and transparency as services deliver the same curriculum and adhere to the same regulations - we agree. The difference
is qualified teachers in ECE services across the sector are employed on widely varying pay and conditions, whereas
kindergarten teachers are covered by a national collective employment agreement.Why do we have different funding?
After decades of campaigning, kindergarten teachers won pay parity with qualified teachers in primary and secondary
schools in the early 2000s. Government funding to kindergarten associations reflects the fact teachers have pay parity.
As part of the state sector, the kindergarten teachers’ union negotiates with the Ministry of Education. Kindergarten
associations as employers must meet the cost of the teachers’ national collective employment agreement (KTCA) which sets
out pay rates and employment conditions to support teachers’ professional practice.
Teacher-led, ECE services in other parts of the sector receive government funding too, but not at the same level as
kindergartens. Qualified teachers in these ECE services have varying employment arrangements and do not get the same pay
and conditions.Is it fair?
No. The Minister of Education has acknowledged this. The government increased funding in its latest budget to make sure
qualified ECE teachers starting out are paid the same rate of $49,862. Up to 17,000 teachers are expected to benefit
from this. If services are already paying qualified teachers at or above this rate, there is no guarantee the extra will
be put into qualified teachers’ pay.
The Minister of Education says it will take successive budgets to move to parity across the sector and the Strategic
Plan for Early Learning also commits to this. But it is not just about the government providing additional funding. It
is about ensuring there is a mechanism in place to guarantee that funding tagged for teachers’ pay and conditions is
used for that purpose. Until 2011 we did have the same funding levels, but qualified teachers outside of kindergartens
did not get the same pay, leave, professional development leave or non-contact time.Where do our kindergartens stand?
A national collective employment agreement would ensure that qualified teachers receive fair pay and conditions. It
would provide transparency and accountability for taxpayers’ money and ensure that additional funding goes into
qualified teachers’ pay and conditions. Kindergartens Aotearoa, representing more than half of all community-based, not-for-profit free kindergartens, agrees pay parity should be
sector wide and that ECE services receive the funding needed to support it. We support a national collective employment
agreement for teachers - a teacher is a teacher is a teacher. We call on all other ECE employers to do the same.