Disestablishment of Kāhui Ako roles

Your employment continues

This does NOT mean teachers in these roles lose their jobs.

• A teacher holding a Kāhui Ako role will remain employed in the school in the role they held before being appointed to the Kāhui Ako role. Unless agreed otherwise the teacher will just move back to their previous teaching load.
• The budget announcements have confirmed that Kāhui Ako roles are to be disestablished from 27 January 2026. The additional staffing to the school for the time allowances for the roles and the salary payments for the roles will no longer be funded by the Ministry.
  • For more information download FAQ Kāhui Ako Disestablishment.

 

Your additional salary may continue for up to a year 

The collective agreement ensures that when a role in Kāhui Ako is disestablished the surplus staffing income protection provisions apply.

4.23.12   The salary protection provisions of subsection 3.9.9(a) will apply to teachers whose Kāhui Ako Teacher (across community) role is disestablished. If a teacher returns to, or is subsequently appointed to, a position of equal or higher remuneration than they received in the Kāhui Ako Teacher (across community) role, the salary protection no longer applies

4.24.14   The salary protection provisions of 9.8(b) or 3.9.9(a) will apply as appropriate to teachers whose Kāhui Ako Teacher (within school) role is disestablished. If a teacher returns to, or is subsequently appointed to, a position of equal or higher remuneration than they received in the Kāhui Ako Teacher (within school) role, the salary protection no longer applies.

Similar provisions in the ASTCA are under 3.32.9 and 3.33.14. 

Note:

If a secondary school has three people or more in the Within School Teacher roles or receiving the Kāhui Ako responsibility allowances, then at least 60% must be permanent or receiving equivalent permanent responsibility allowances.

If an area/composite school has three or more teachers who teach Years 7-13 in the Within School Teacher roles or receiving the Kāhui Ako responsibility allowances, then at least 60% of those teachers must be in permanent Within School Teacher roles or receiving equivalent permanent responsibility allowances.

There are three generally expected scenarios: 

• A teacher in a permanent role or in a fixed term role that was due to finish at the end of next year or later will continue to be paid their salary allowance until the end of 2026.  
• A teacher in a fixed term role otherwise ending part way through 2026 will have the salary payment until the date their role was due to end.  
• A teacher in a fixed term Kāhui Ako that is due to end this year will have no extension to their Kāhui Ako salary allowance.  

Principals in Kahui Ako Leadership Roles

The SPCA and ASPCA provide for three months’ notice when a Kāhui Ako Leadership role is disestablished. Your Kahui Ako salary will be paid for the lesser of three months or the remaining term of your leadership role. 

Schools will make staffing adjustments 

With the removal of the additional staffing that supported the time allowances schools will need to make staffing adjustments.

In most cases this will be managed through normal end of year staffing adjustments (e.g. reducing fixed term hours of part time teachers or not renewing fixed term positions created to cover the release time for the Kāhui Ako roles).    

This will look different for each school and each individual and we encourage you to contact your Field Officer for support and guidance in these conversations with your school. 

Limited risk of surplus staffing

In a few schools it may cause overstaffing that require a reduction of permanent positions. If so, the school must follow the surplus staffing or re-organisations processes in the collective agreement. It must be kept separate from the Kāhui Ako changes and would require a review of the whole school staffing use, not just those in Kāhui Ako roles.

If your branch is told this might be a possible outcome, please contact your local Field Officer.

What to expect from your board

1. An explanation about why the role is affected (essentially the disestablishment of the Kahui Ako)
2. Confirmation that your Kāhui ako role will be disestablished and under what clause in your collective agreement
3. Confirmation that you will return to your substantive role and duties in the school
4. Confirmation of the nature of your role (Within School Teacher/Across Community teacher/Kahui Ako responsibility allowance holder)
5. Confirmation of the tenure of that role (permanent/fixed term)
6. If the role is fixed term, confirmation of when it was due to expire
7. Confirmation that the Kāhui ako allowances and duties will end on 27 January 2026
8. What salary protection you will have given the tenure of your Kāhui Ako role:
   1. If permanent that should be until 27 January 2027.
   2. If fixed term that will be the earlier of the date Kāhui ako role was due to end anyway in 2026 and 27 January 2027
   3. If a principal in a lead role three months’ notice
9. How the school intends to review the duties and functions of the role to see if they can be continued in some form from other resources the school has, how you will be involved in that process, and in what timeframe