Support Staff in Schools and Kaiārahi i te Reo and Therapists’ Collective Agreem…
On 24 March, the Collective Agreements covering Support Staff in Schools and Kaiārahi i te Reo and Therapists were ratified.
The term of both agreements is from 24 March 2026 to 23 June 2028.
This article summarises the changes and new provisions agreed as part of the settlement.
The full collective agreements (CA) can be downloaded from the Ministry of Educationopen_in_new.
Key features of the settlement
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2.5% increase to printed rates in the previous CA on ratification (0.2% more than the March IEA/VTE rates).
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2% increase to printed rates 12 months after ratification.
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Increasing the motor vehicle allowance to $0.83 per kilometre.
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$8 million PLD fund for staff who work directly with neurodiverse learners.
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Updated conduct and performance provisions.
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Making a 40-hour full-time work week standard, and grandparenting 37.5-hour arrangements (SSSCA only).
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Changes to the way principals document appointments and inform staff about variation of hours (SSSCA only).
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Including non-teaching guidance counsellors under coverage (SSSCA only).
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Introduction of a Therapist Team Leadership Allowance (KRCA only).
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Medical certificates can only be requested (at the employee’s expense) after 5 consecutive days of absence.
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Workplace delegate communications channel to be provided on request.
What changes have been made to the variation of hours clauses in the SSSCA that apply to all employees?
The requirement that an employee’s hours be in place for at least 12 months before any decrease under clause 2.5, now applies to all employees (not just Teacher Aides).
Additionally, clause 2.5 can no longer be used to increase hours (see clause 2.6). An increase in hours without invoking Part 10 can now be made only by mutual agreement.
What changes have been made to the variation of hours clauses in the SSSCA that apply to employees appointed after 20 July 2026?
Clause 2.5 now only applies to employees appointed after 20 July 2026 if their letter of offer (and other employment documentation, such as an individual employment agreement if they are a non-union employee) explicitly states that clause 2.5 can be used to decrease their hours.
If their letter does not state this, any decrease in hours can only be by mutual agreement, or by undertaking the process set out in Part 10 of the SSSCA.
Old letter of offer templates you have saved to your computer are out of date and do not reflect this change. Updated letters, with an option to include whether clause 2.5 can be used to vary the employee’s hours, can be found in the recruitment section of our Resource Centre.
We recommend always downloading a fresh template each time you make an appointment to ensure you are using the most up-to-date letter template.
What action is required of schools employing non-teaching guidance counsellors?
If your school employs a guidance counsellor who does not hold a practising certificate or LAT, their current IEA is out of date.
Please review the Guidance: SSSCA Coverage of Non-Teaching Guidance Counsellorsopen_in_new published by the Ministry of Education.
It explains the implications and actions required of you to implement this coverage change. It also includes an FAQ section.
As part of implementing this change, you will need to communicate with your non-teaching guidance counsellors. (Notification letter for non-teaching guidance counsellors of SSSCA coverage)open_in_new.
It is important to follow up after this letter is sent.
It is also important to note the various payroll actions required of you for these employees from 23 June 2026.
The coverage change will not reduce any non-teaching guidance counsellor’s hourly rate or salary.
The Ministry guidance and the appendix to the letter above further explain the translation of rates/salary.
The translation rules can be found in Appendix 1 of the Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreementopen_in_new.
New appointments of non-teaching guidance counsellors must be under the terms and conditions of the SSSCA.
The minimum rates for non-teaching guidance counsellors will be Grade D, step 6, of the Other Support Staff scale, provided that the employee holds a relevant qualification for a guidance counsellor recognised at Level 7 or above on the NZQF, or is a registered psychologist.
Non-teaching guidance counsellors who do not hold a relevant qualification for a guidance counsellor recognised at Level 7 or above on the NZQF, or who are not registered psychologists, will be assessed in accordance with clause 3E.3.4 of the SSSCA.
What other actions are required?
A new Individual Employment Agreement (IEA)open_in_new has been promulgated for the SSSCA and KRCA on 15 April 2026.
Offer the updated individual employment agreement (IEA) to those who are not bound by the collective agreement.
What does this mean for school funding?
Ongoing funding will be provided to schools and kura to cover the increased cost of the remuneration.
Top-up funding is paid at the same time as operational grant instalments.
The first instalment of top-up funding, following the implementation of the SSSCA, KRCA and respective IEAs, will be paid on 1 July based on EPL data as of 27 May.
What should schools be aware of?
1. Remuneration
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This settlement provides those already employed on the SSSCA and KRCA with an increase to all printed rates of 4.55% over the 27-month term of the collective agreement. This is comprised of a 2.5% increase from 24 March 2026 and a 2.0% increase from 23 March 2027.
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An IEA based on each of the two collectives is available from the Ministry of Educationopen_in_new.
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Guidance counsellors will translate to the SSSCA on their current pay rates and will receive a 2% increase on 23 March 2027.
Education Payroll Limited will pay these rates to employees covered by the collective agreement no later than pay period 06, on 23 June 2026.
Rates will be paid back to the effective date of 24 March 2026 for employees who are NZEI members, from the membership join date if they joined later than 24 March 2026, or from the date the IEAs to be promulgated on 15 April are signed.
To clarify, for staff who signed the Individual Employment Agreements or Variation to Terms and Conditions of Employment promulgated on 24 February 2026, the percentage increases are to the printed rates in the expired collective agreements, not to the rates in the IEAs/VTEs.
Full rates tables are available in Annex 1 of the MoE Circular 2026/08open_in_new.
2. Motor Vehicle Allowance increase
The Motor Vehicle Allowance will increase to $0.83 per kilometre from 24 March 2026 under both the KRCA and SSSCA.
3. Professional Learning and Development Fund
The Ministry will establish and administer a Professional Learning and Development (PLD) fund of up to $8 million available to staff whose work falls within coverage of the SSSCA and KRCA and who work directly with neurodiverse students to support students’ participation and progress.
This fund will open in Term 1 2027 and will provide PLD through Ministry-approved providers until the earlier of the end of 2028 or when the funds are exhausted.
4. Updated Performance and Conduct Provisions
The provisions have been updated to clarify what good processes look like for both conduct and performance matters.
If you have specific questions, please contact us.
6. Making a 40-hour full-time work week standard and grandparenting 37.5-hour arrangements under the SSSCA
To be considered full-time, employees will work 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. Less hours or weeks per year are designated as part-time.
Employees previously employed full-time at 37.5 hours per week will have this status grandparented while they remain in their current role under the SSSCA.
6. Medical Certificates change from 3 to 5 days
If medical evidence is requested within five consecutive calendar days, the board will agree to meet the employee’s reasonable expenses in obtaining the proof.
Expenses for obtaining medical evidence after five days will be at the employee’s cost. This applies to both SSSCA and KRCA.
7. Therapist Team leader Allowance under the KRCA
Where a school board employs four or more therapists, they may allocate at their discretion an allowance of $4,000 per annum to the therapist(s) who are designated to lead a team.
Prior to the date this collective agreement came into force, some employees may have already received additional remuneration for performing team leader duties.
In these circumstances, the board and employee may agree that some or all of that remuneration will be replaced by the team leader allowance, provided that the employee’s total remuneration does not decrease and their salary must not be reduced below the applicable minimum rate.
Guidance will be provided to eligible schools prior to the implementation date in June.
For more details, please refer to clause 5.8 of the Kaiārahi i te Reo and Therapists’ Collective Agreementopen_in_new.
8. Changes to appointment documentation under the SSSCA
From 20 July 2026, employers will be required to indicate in employment documentation (such as letters of offer, or new individual employment agreements (IEAs)) whether the hours of work and/or number of weeks to be worked per year could be varied in the future under clauses 2.5, 2.6, or 2.7.
The 15 April IEA has been updated to reflect this requirement, and we are updating our template letters of offer to meet this requirement for those who aren't on IEAs.
We recommend that this information be kept in the employee’s personnel file.
9. Expanded coverage for non-teaching guidance counsellors under the SSSCA
Non-teaching guidance counsellors will now fall under the coverage of the SSSCA 2026-2028.
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The SSSCA will provide the minimum rates for non-teaching guidance counsellors, which will be Grade D step 6 of the Other Support Staff scale. This is provided that the employee holds a relevant qualification for a guidance counsellor recognised at Level 7 or above on the NZQF or is a registered psychologist.
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For non-teaching guidance counsellors who hold a relevant qualification for a guidance counsellor recognised at Level 7 or above on the NZQF, or is a registered psychologist.
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For non-teaching guidance counsellors who do not hold a relevant qualification for a guidance counsellor recognised at Level 7 or above on the NZQF or is not a registered psychologist will be assessed in accordance with clause 3E.3.4 of the SSSCA. However, their hourly rate (as determined in clause 3) must not be lower than their rate immediately before transfer.
Guidance will be provided to schools about implementation tasks for guidance counsellor translation well ahead of the June implementation of the SSSCA.
The translation rules can be found in Appendix 1 of the Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreementopen_in_new.
The guidance will invite schools to consider whether annual pay increases have been provided before and/or during the bargaining process when considering the translation.
10. Communications on Fixed-Term Agreements
The Ministry will communicate directly to schools where data identifies that employees under coverage of the KRCA or SSSCA have been employed on fixed-term agreements for longer than two years at the end of September 2026 and September 2027.
The communication will encourage schools to consider a review of employment documentation with the assistance of the us, if required, to make sure that any fixed-term agreements are for genuine reasons based on reasonable grounds (as specified in the Employment Relations Act 2000).
11. Workplace delegates communications channels
Schools will provide a communication channel (notice board or online), on request, to enable the sharing of union notices and information, in addition to the rights provided for workplace delegates under legislation.
This applies to employees under both the SSSCA and KRCA.
12. Recognition of service for transferred employees
For service for leave purposes, the Ministry will recognise the service for employees transferred to converted (charter) schools who return to state and state-integrated schools. If this occurs, contact us for advice.
This applies to employees under both the SSSCA and KRCA.
13. Surplus staffing technical review
The Ministry and NZEI Te Riu Roa will meet over the course of the term to discuss amendments to improve clarity around the process and readability of Part 10: Employment Protection and Surplus Staffing Provisions under the SSSCA.
Templates, resources, and references
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