The settlement is fully funded. Additional funds will be provided through the operations grant on a quarterly basis based on actual teacher aide hours and includes funding of the Tiaki allowance.

This additional funding will be provided regardless of how the teacher aide role is funded i.e ORS, ACC and Board-funded teacher aides will all attract the additional pay equity funding to meet the increased costs of the settlement.

Additional funding will be provided in the first funding drop (October 2020) to cover payment of arrears for both the new rates and the Tiakai allowance (from February 12, 2020, the date of settlement).

The commitment to fund the settlement is ongoing.  The Ministry of Education has also made a commitment to review how schools are funded, including investigating the use of a form of entitlement staffing. This will be managed under the Accord process and start immediately upon ratification of the settlement.

The Ministry is confident that Novopay will be ready to handle the changes by November 2020, including payment of arrears from February 12, 2020 (the effective date of settlement).

As with the new pay rates this allowance is effective from February 12, 2020. All teacher aides who undertake Tiaki work (formerly known as dirty work) will qualify for the allowance.  A full definition of Tiaki work can be found in the Support Staff in Schools Collective Agreement.  The allowance applies where an employee is required to clean up a student soiled with vomit, excreta, urine or blood as part of their work.

Teacher aides who undertake the work on a regular basis ie on average at least once a day, will qualify for the additional $2.60 (per hour every hour) allowance.  Teacher aides who undertake tiaki work occasionally will qualify for an allowance of $4.81 per day.

Further information around the process to ensure teacher aides receive the correct allowance will be provided prior to implementation.

Anniversary dates are not affected by the pay equity settlement.

The translation of teacher aides to the new steps and grades is automatic.  However principals should ensure all teacher aides are correctly identified through pay roll as teacher aides prior to ratification.

There are two different translation rules based on whether a teacher aide was employed as a teacher aide prior to November 2019.

If a teacher aide was employed before 29 November 2019 then they will automatically translate to the new rates based on their grade and step under the previous collective agreement i.e the grade and step they were on prior to November 2019. This applies even if the teacher aide has changed schools, changed roles or was/is employed on a fixed term contract.

If a teacher aide was first employed as a teacher aide on or after 29 November 2019, then they will translate based on their current grade and step i.e their grade and step in February 2020.

Exceptions

A Teacher aide who changed to a higher grade after February 12, 2020 will be translated based on that higher new grade Their arrears payment will also take into account any grade changes since 12 February 2020. The additional funding delivered to schools will also take into account grade changes under this exception.

The settlement requires that all teacher aides have accurate and up to date job descriptions. Where a teacher aide does not have a job description one should be created in consultation with the teacher aide.

Principals should also review their existing teacher aide job descriptions and use the new work matrix to update them to ensure they are current and accurate.

The new work matrix accurately reflects the work undertaken by teacher aides and was based on the interviews undertaken with teacher aides, teachers, SENCOs and Principals as part of the pay equity investigation.

The new work matrix sets out the most common skills, responsibilities and demands that apply to teacher aides. The employer will need to assess the regular and ongoing skills/demands/responsibilities of each teacher aide role so that the grade recognises the highest-level skills/demands/responsibilities that are required for competent performance of the role. Teacher aides do not have to do every activity in a grade in order to be placed in a particular grade.

The review and updating of job descriptions would be an appropriate time to consult with teacher aides around the grading of their role, including any necessary re-grading based on the new work matrix. Re-grading under the new work matrix may be initiated immediately and may be put into effect once the ratification process of the varied SSSCA is complete (no later than 3 July, 2020).

Download the new work matrix here.

Teacher aides and those doing the same or similar work are covered by the settlement. To determine if a support staff employee is doing the same or similar work, employers and staff should work through the new work matrix (download here).

If the role in question is not called a teacher aide but the work involved can be located in the matrix, then the role is likely covered by the teacher aide pay equity settlement.  Further information regarding those identified as covered by the settlement but not designated as teacher aides will be made available prior to implementation.

Administration staff, Science Technicians, Librarians, Kaiārahi i te Reo are not covered by their settlement as separate pay equity claims have been raised for these groups.

Pay equity claims have been raised for Kaiārahi i te Reo, Administration staff, Science Technicians and Librarians.

We are looking at the work that has been done through the teacher aide process and at the pay equity claim, almost settled, that has been taken by the PSA for administration staff employed by District Health Boards. We strongly believe that this information can be used to significantly cut down on the time required to settle these claims.  We expect to agree a much shorter timeframe than the teacher aide process for settling those claims.

Further detail around next steps for the Administration and Kaiārahi i te Reo pay equity claims will be announced shortly.

Teacher aides need to register for an informational webinar in order to vote on the settlement. All teacher aides registered can then vote in an online endorsement vote this week, closing on Friday 19 June at 3pm.

Meetings for teacher aides, Principals and Executive Officers have been held as online Zoom hui to talk through the settlement over the past three weeks. This has been an opportunity to find out what pay equity means for teacher aides and give school leaders the opportunity to ask questions of the NZEI Te Riu Roa pay equity team.

Teacher aides can continue to access a pre-recorded webinar by registering here. 

Following endorsement of the settlement, a vote to vary the SSSCA to include the settlement will take place by electronic ballot of NZEI Te Riu Roa support staff members through electionz.com between June 24-29.