1.1 Name of the Agreement

This agreement is called the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement and referred to hereafter as “this agreement”.

1.2 Parties

The parties to this agreement are:

1. The Secretary for Education acting under delegation from the Public Service Commissioner made pursuant to clause 6 of schedule 3 of the Public Service Act 2020 and acting in accordance with section 586 (5) of the Education and Training Act 2020; and
2. The New Zealand Post Primary Teachers’ Association (hereafter “the Association”).

1.3 Application

This agreement is binding on:

1. Each employee who is employed by a school board of a state or integrated school to teach in a school defined in clause 1.4 below and who is or becomes, a member of the Association; and
2. Each employer, as defined in clause 1.8 (c) below.

1.4 Coverage

(a) This agreement covers work undertaken in state and integrated schools by:

• Teachers in secondary (Year 9-13) schools and their subsidiary units (including activity centres); and
• Teachers in Year 7-13 schools and their subsidiary units (including activity centres); and
• Specialist secondary teachers of technology of classes at Years 7 and 8 in technology host schools or at schools or centres where the specialist secondary teacher is employed to predominantly teach technology classes at Years 7 and 8.

Note 1: The agreed intention of the parties is to not extend coverage beyond those teachers whom the Association has traditionally covered, i.e. specialist secondary teachers of technology of Year 7 and 8 students (historically known as manual teachers).

Note 2: For the purposes of this clause “predominantly” means 70% or more of the teacher’s weekly timetabled classroom teaching time.

Note 3: Should there be any question about the application clauses 1.4(a) and 1.8(g) and (i), the Secretary for Education will call a meeting of representatives of the Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga, Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa | the New Zealand School Boards Association (NZSBA), the Post Primary Teachers Association and the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa to consider and resolve the matter. Any of the above organisations may request such a meeting.

The above organisations may consult with other organisations as they see fit.

• Teachers in composite (other than area) schools and special schools and units who teach Year 9 and above students; and
• Itinerant teachers of instrumental music employed by secondary schools; and
• Secondary teachers responsible for teaching and learning programmes for students years 9 and above, or across years 7-10 in Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (the Correspondence School), and/or support for those students. The responsibility may be in the development and/or delivery of these programmes or support.

(b) This agreement does not apply to principals.

(c) The Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement will apply to those RTLB who are no longer covered by clause1.4(a) of this collective agreement after 28 January 2012 (but who were covered by it as at 27 January 2012) and who accept employment in the new lead employing school, so long as they remain employed as an RTLB with that lead school employer, and remain a member of the Association.

1.5 Employees and Employers Bound Subsequent to Settlement

1.5.1

New employees whose work falls within the coverage clause of this agreement will be advised of the existence of this collective agreement and be offered the opportunity to join the Association and thereby become bound by this agreement.

1.5.2

Employees whose work falls within the coverage clause of this agreement and who join the Association during the currency of this agreement will become bound by this agreement from the date on which they joined the Association.

1.6 Term of Agreement

This collective agreement is effective from 1 December 2025 and it expires on 31 December 2027, except as provided for by section 53 of the Employment Relations Act 2000.

1.7 Variations

The parties agree that the terms and conditions of this agreement may be varied at any time by written agreement between the Association on behalf of its members bound by this agreement and the Secretary for Education acting under delegation from the Public Service Commissioner made pursuant to clause 6 of schedule 3 of the Public Service Act 2020.

1.8 Definitions

The following definitions apply unless the agreement specifies otherwise:

1. “Advertised” means advertised online in the Education Gazette.
2. “Association” or “union” means the New Zealand Post Primary Teachers’ Association Te Wehengarua (PPTA).
3. “Employer” means a school board constituted pursuant to the Education and Training Act 2020, or a commissioner where a commissioner has been appointed under the Education and Training Act 2020 to act in place of a school board, of a state or integrated school which employs teachers as described under clause 1.4(a) above. It also means a new school board of a school created by the establishment of a new state or integrated school, or by the amalgamation of two or more existing schools where either event occurs during the term of this agreement as described in clause 1.6 above.

Note: In relation to a dispute about the interpretation, application or operation of this agreement, the employer will act, if the Secretary for Education acting under delegated authority from the Public Service Commissioner so requires, together or in consultation with the Secretary for Education.

1. “Correspondence School” or “Te Kura” means the Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu.
2. “Secondary school” means a year 9-13 or a year 7-13 school. This includes junior high schools and senior high schools.
3. ‘Technology host school’ means a state or state-integrated school that has agreed, in a technology memorandum of understanding (or other agreement), to provide technology instruction for years 7 and 8 students of another state or state-integrated school(s).
4. “Kāhui Ako are also known as Communities of Schools and Communities of Learning. A Kāhui Ako is a group of schools approved to receive resourcing under the Investing in Educational Success initiative announced in 2014.
5. ‘Employee or Teacher’ means any person as defined by clause 1.4 of this agreement who is or who becomes bound by this agreement:

(i) Trained Teacher means a teacher who is certificated by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.

(ii) Untrained Teacher means a teacher who is employed with a Limited Authority to Teach granted by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand or as provided in s93(3) of the Education and Training Act 2020.

(i) ‘Specialist secondary teacher of technology’ means a teacher:

1. employed to teach technology courses which include a practical component to classes of years 7 and 8;
2. who holds a specialist qualification or specialist practical experience; and
3. who holds a secondary teaching qualification recognised by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.

(j) ‘Reliever’ means a fixed-term teacher who is temporarily employed in a teaching position during a teacher’s absence either as a:

1. a short-term reliever, who is a teacher employed on a casual basis for a period not exceeding three weeks; or
2. a long-term reliever, who is a teacher employed for a continuous period beyond three weeks

(k) ‘Fixed-term Teacher’ means a teacher who is employed for a fixed term, where the employer and teacher agree that the teacher’s employment will end at the close of a specified date or period; or on the occurrence of a specified event; or at the conclusion of a specified project.

(l) ‘Term Breaks’ means the period during which schools are closed for instruction between school terms. Relevant legislation sets out the periods during which schools will be open or closed for instruction between terms.

(m) “Converted School” has the same meaning as in clause 114 of Schedule 1 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

(n) “Transferred Employee” means any employee who was transferred from employment in a state or state integrated school to employment in a charter school under clause 119 of Schedule 1 of the Education and Training Act 2020.