The Early Childhood Education Steering Group, being a group of ECE sectors leaders representing employers on the Teachers Pay Equity Claim, expresses deep regret at the cessation of the pay equity process for early childhood teachers following recent legislative changes to the Equal Pay Act.

Over the past five years, the ECE Steering Group has worked alongside the Ministry of Education, unions, and other sector representatives to progress a pay equity claim that sought to fairly value the work of more than 90,000 teachers and leaders across early childhood, primary and secondary education - most of whom are women. The claim aimed to address longstanding gender-based pay inequities in teaching and to recognise the vital contribution of the profession.

“We are deeply disappointed that this significant and collaborative process has come to an end. It represented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure teaching is valued equitably alongside other professions,” the Chair of the ECE Steering Group, Kathy Wolfe said.

“$12 billion to value the work of women gone up in smoke. The work of women and wāhine -particularly in early childhood education - has been undervalued for generations. Removing access to this funding not only denies teachers and kaiako a fair outcome but also undermines decades of advocacy, research, and commitment to gender equity across Aotearoa.”

“With over 90% of the early childhood education workforce identifying as female, the discontinuation of this process raises serious concerns about the ongoing recognition and reward of women’s work in Aotearoa.”

“ECE employers, teachers, and sector organisations invested four and a half years of time and unfunded resource into this process because they believed in its value and the importance of achieving a just and evidence-based outcome. The claim’s abrupt ending will impact the sector’s ability to retain and attract teachers - at a time when shortages are already being felt across early learning and schooling.”

“Given the significance of this legislation, consultation on proposed changes would have been a more appropriate avenue instead of complete termination of the current claim. These changes potentially undermine employers’ ability to express the value they place on their staff and now that position even got harder with only 0.5% increase in funding for ECE.”

“The ECE Steering Group remains committed to advocating for the fair recognition of the early childhood education workforce and to ensuring tamariki and whānau continue to receive high-quality teaching and education.”

“After all, education in Aotearoa New Zealand should be about valuing and empowering our teachers and kaiako to ensure our tamariki mokopuna flourish and succeed in their own learning journeys,” says Mrs Wolfe.

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