We will not attract new teachers to our workforce when you can earn more working in fast food.

What does the issue of pay mean for you as a teacher, and the tamariki you teach?

It means that despite gaining a degree and working for minimum wage while doing this [the degree], I am now on little more than minimum wage even though I am now on step 4 of the ktca.

My partner has only a electrical ticket not a full degree and he earns $12 more an hour than me. We will not attract new teachers to our workforce when you can earn more working in fast food.

What will it take to fix pay for kindergarten teachers?

A massive step up in pay to a wage that would be acceptable by professionals. Lawyers and accountants make way more than us, and the future generations are in our hands… how are children and teachers so undervalued in society when we know so much now about brain development and the importance of the early years?

When we fix pay for kindergarten teachers, what impact will that change have on you as a teacher, and the tamariki you teach?

It will remove the financial stress from my life. We would be able to move house, we can’t move on from our first home or finish our renovations because our income is not keeping up. Imagine a working family with one child who can’t afford to go on a big holiday despite having 2 full time working parents. Our generation is suffering.