Principal Matters Term 3 2026

Your mahi for Term 3 2026

Download our Principal Task Checklist which covers the tasks you’ll need to undertake this term. 

Use it alongside the latest edition of Board Matters and the Board Task Checklist. 

Workshops and webinars

Navigating Surplus Staffing – Parts 1 & 2 (Webinars)

This two-part series focuses on the provisional staffing entitlement issued in September.

Designed for principals and staff responsible for employment matters, we’ll explore the surplus staffing process, including the steps to take when a surplus may require a reduction in teaching FTTE.

Enrol today and share the registration link with the appropriate staff members in your school. 

Concerns and Complaints – When Issues Arise, Process Matters (Workshops or Webinar)

These practical sessions help board members to understand the difference between concerns and complaints, clarify the board’s role, and gain confidence in the process.

View the full schedule, share the link with your board, and register today.

Note: Keep an eye out for Strategic Planning and Reporting events later in the year. 

Phase out of PPTAH rate

From Term 3, 2026, the Primary Part-Time Additional Hours (PPTAH) pay code will no longer be valid in EdPay. 

When engaging a part-time teacher for more than their agreed hours, schools must ensure they are clear on the basis which additional hours are offered – as an increase to the teacher’s FTTE or as a separate short-term reliever (DDR) engagement.  

The Ministry of Education has developed advice for schools in consultation with NZEI Te Riu Roa. The guidance, available hereopen_in_new, sets out the options for engaging and paying part-time teachers where they work additional hours (but less than full-time). 

Staffing Entitlements

As we move into Term 3, reviewing your staffing entitlements will be a priority for principals. 

Principals should check their provisional staffing entitlement against projected rolls for the coming year, validate their staffing structure, confirm curriculum and resourcing requirements, and flag early any subject gaps or expected roll movements so adjustments can be planned in good faith before the entitlement is confirmed. 

Early, proactive workforce planning by principals and school leaders in Term 3 is a good safeguard against being caught unprepared. 

MoE review of salary units and management allowance

From the start of 2026, the Ministry of Education is monitoring schools' use of salary units and management allowances, with recovery of overuse beginning in 2027. 

The 2026 year is a monitoring-only phase designed to give schools a full year to track and adjust before financial recovery starts.  

Schools identified by the MoE as being in an overuse situation were notified on the 30 April 2026.

It is possible that the purported overuse is a coding error with EPL. School leaders should check that the correct designations are being used for staff holding units and allowances.

From 2027, overuse will be recovered from schools' quarterly operational funding instalments at current collective agreement rates, with the first Q1 2027 recovery taken from the July 2027 instalment.

Where a school must reduce allocations to stay within entitlement, salary protection may apply to impacted teachers. This will be paid from operational funding. Recruitment, retention and responsibility (3R) payments can be used from the bulk grant after entitlement units are fully allocated.

More information from MoE can be found here: Monitoring your usage of salary units and management units.open_in_new

Principals are encouraged to act now: review current allocations, plan adjustments for 2026, and seek guidance from GovHub (0800 782 453, option 2 / eradvice@govhub.org.nz) or the Ministry at operational.support@education.govt.nz.

On a separate but related matter, we have been made aware that some schools are underusing their salary unit and management allowance entitlements. It would be timely to check the extent of your staffing entitlements and if you are maximising the use of the financial resources your school has available. 

PPCBU Principals – Tranche 2 PLD/CCA

The Ministry of Education have advised that they will issue a notification to eligible principals on 20 July, regarding the second tranche of the PLD fund / Curriculum Change Allowance under the Primary Principal (PPCBU) Collective Agreement. Please be aware that the option to nominate the Curriculum Change Allowance instead of the PLD fund is available only to PPCBU principals; it does not apply to NZEI-covered principals or to teachers acting up in the principal's role under a higher duties allowance. Principals covered by the PPCBU collective agreement, or an IEA reflecting those terms, will receive the communication directly.

Nominations open on 20 July 2026, and principals who wish to receive the Curriculum Change Allowance rather than the default PLD fund payment must submit the form by the 5 August 2026 cut-off. No action is required from principals who prefer the PLD fund, as this remains the default. The eligibility period for the tranche 2 payment is 2–15 September 2026, with the allowance paid on 16 September 2026. 

Changes to how teaching standards are set, reviewed and maintained

From 6 July 2026 new legislation changes how teaching standards are set, reviewed and maintained in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Responsibility for setting, maintaining and reviewing teaching standards has transferred from the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand to the Secretary for Education. 

The Teaching Council remains the independent professional regulator. There are no immediate changes to existing teaching standards, registration, or practising certificate requirements.

Schools and teachers will continue to work with the Teaching Council as usual. Any future changes to standards will be developed with the sector and clearly communicated.

For more information, visit the Ministry’s Teaching Standards webpageopen_in_new.