Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Te Rito Maioha Welcomes Pre-Budget Announcement On Pay Parity

Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand welcomes today’s pre-Budget announcement which will see some ECE teachers | kaiako take a step closer to pay parity with their kindergarten colleagues.


Today’s announcement from Education Minister Chris Hipkins will see existing education and care service funding rates increased from 1 July 2021, alongside the minimum salary required to be paid to qualified and certificated kaiako. The minimum moves from $49,862 to $51,358 per annum.

“The announcement by the Minister that another set of higher funding rates will be made available from 1 January 2022, if services agree to pay kaiako in line with the first six pay bands of the collective agreement to which kindergarten kaiako belong, is an interesting approach by this Government and one we’re generally in support of,” says Te Rito Maioha Chief Executive, Kathy Wolfe.

“It is expected such a change would benefit kaiako earning from around $50,000 to around $65,000, with some getting increases of as much as 17%. Of course, some work will need to be completed to have an understanding what “opt in” means for the ECE employer and the kaiako.”

“For example, how this will be monitored to ensure this funding goes straight to kaiako pay; will services who are already paying at the Kindergarten Teachers Collective Agreement rates but do not wish to “opt in” also receive this funding if they can provide evidence of this; can employers choose to direct some of this funding to their more experienced qualified kaiako to lift their salaries and value their mahi?”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“I am relieved to see clarity from the Minister with this next tranche of funding that he has an unequivocal expectation that centres receiving it should pass it all onto kaiako.”


“Te Rito Maioha has been saying for many years that kaiako who have the same qualifications and are carrying out the same work, deserve to get paid equally. As the Minister said in his announcement, “it’s only fair”, so this is a welcome step towards addressing that longstanding inequity.”

“All ECE qualified kaiako have the same roles and responsibilities to our youngest tamariki and their whānau to provide the high-quality early childhood education they deserve. It’s about time the valuable contribution of kaiako was recognised. We are committed to ensuring this happens for all qualified kaiako who teach in ECE, as there will be those that still miss out, which is unacceptable.”

“We look forward, as part of the sector, to continuing to work over the next year with the Government on further critical changes that are needed sooner rather than later to the ECE funding model to sustainably implement pay parity for all kaiako,” says Kathy Wolfe.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.