Ms Lehr was at the Octagon in central Dunedin this morning, along with nearly 100 local teachers, protesting current pay scales which, she said, continued to disadvantage many New Zealand teachers. ‘‘There’s a huge disparity in the early childhood sector - and actually in the whole teaching sector - as to how teachers are valued. ‘‘Some teachers are paid the same and others are not.’’Protesting the pay gaps that still exist for some teachers, nearly 100 New Zealand Educational Institute members gathered in the Octagon this morning. Yet there could be a pay difference of up to 49% for teachers with the same experience. Though the minimum pay was now in line with the rest of the sector, there was little room to move up in pay as teachers gained experience and, consequently on average, early childhood teachers were paid 24% less than teachers in kindergarten and primary school with the same qualifications.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 23, 2020 23:37 UTC