Kia ora e te whānau,
This week primary kaikao (teachers) and principals who are NZEI union members took strike action. We know this is hugely disruptive for ākonga and their whānau, and I would like to explain why our school team chose to do this. The decision was not been made lightly; it comes after a long period of negotiations where our government has failed to address the critical challenges we face in our schools every day.
This strike is about much more than pay. It is about the future of education in Aotearoa New Zealand, and about ensuring that every child gets the quality education they deserve. Recently, the government and the Ministry of Education have shared information that we feel downplays our concerns or has tried to create a narrative that this is simply politically driven. It is not. This is an attempt by those in power to deflect from the real issue of meaningful change that is needed to fix the systemic problems in our education system, and the pressures being created by the rushed and not fully thought through changes being made.
A clear example of these frustrations is the recent rollout of the new mathematics curriculum. As you know, this new curriculum was brought in at the start of the year, and schools across the motu (country) have been working towards implementing it. Many schools are already using this new curriculum, and just this week we received a significantly updated version that is quite different, in parts, from the original one. This new version is to be used from the start of 2026, making some of the planning that schools have already done redundant. There are goals in the new curriculum that schools have been working towards and providing evidence for, that will now change. These changes were much more significant than expected and took many people by surprise. This rushed and disjointed approach to curriculum change is happening despite hundreds of principals raising their concerns with the Ministry of Education. It is a perfect illustration of the unsustainable workload pressures we face and a system that keeps changing and does not seem to listen to the professionals on the ground.
Our key claims during the collective bargaining process are about fixing the crisis-level problems in our schools:
More support for ākonga with higher needs: We have seen a significant increase in children who require extra support, but the funding and resources have not kept up. This means that our most vulnerable students are missing out, and teachers are not equipped with the specialist support and time needed to help them thrive. Equip every classroom with a teacher aide who can help to support tamariki with additional needs.
Uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi in education: Reinstate funding for te reo Māori learning for educators - enable us to uphold the directive in the Education and Training Act 2020 to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Pay that attracts and keeps teachers: To ensure your child has a great teacher now and in the future - we need to be able to attract and retain people in the profession. Pay and conditions must be sufficient to stop our experienced teachers from leaving and to encourage new people to join.
Our working conditions are your children's learning conditions. When we are overworked, under-resourced, and struggling to meet the needs of complex and overflowing classrooms, it is the education of your tamariki that is compromised. This strike is a last resort for us to stand up for ngā ākonga and for a public education system that truly values them. Please know that no teacher wants to strike. We lose a day's pay, which impacts our own whānau. It also takes us out of the classroom and away from working with our ākonga, which is where we want to be. However, the long-term needs of ngā ākonga and the future of their education far outweigh the personal costs to us.
We urge you to look beyond the government headlines and understand the deeper issues at stake. Thank you for your support and understanding as we stand together for a better future for our tamariki. Ki te kotahi te kākaho, ka whati, ki te kāpuia e kori e whati; When we stand alone we are vulnerable, when we stand together we are unbreakable. If you would like to show your support, please sign the NZEI community petition to back our future here.
Ngā mihi nui,
Urs Cunningham
