HAU TAKI HAERE Tertiary Update No 12, 2026.
07 July 2026
Our new member portal goes live tomorrow!
Last week you were sent an email about TEU’s new member portal.
The portal is where you will go to view and update your membership information, access benefits and more.
Tomorrow, all current members will receive an email from Kurt Maude kurt.maude@teu.ac.nz with an activation link. Please follow the link and instructions you receive to log in to the portal.
TEU's General Election policy priorities
At its meeting on 24 June, TEU Council committed to three policy areas that we will campaign on ahead of this year’s General Election. All of our election campaign work falls within our broader union campaign for Mahi Tika | Good Work. These priorities provide a clear focus for our election engagement and a benchmark against which to assess political parties' commitments.
The TEU's policy priority areas are:
Funding
An immediate increase in public investment in tertiary education is essential. In the short term, this means significantly increasing tuition subsidies (EFTS funding rates) to address years of underfunding and support the sustainability of the sector.
In the longer term, TEU is seeking a commitment to fundamental reform of the tertiary funding system, moving towards a model that prioritises free quality education, equitable outcomes, and the long-term health of our public tertiary institutions.
Pay equity
TEU is calling on political parties to commit to restoring pay equity legislation within their first 100 days in government. This must be accompanied by the restoration of funding needed to ensure pay equity claims can be properly progressed and settled.
Pay equity is essential to addressing the historic and ongoing undervaluation of work performed predominantly by women and is fundamental to creating fairer workplaces across Aotearoa.
Better rights at work
TEU members deserve stronger workplace rights and protections, as do all working people in Aotearoa.
As an immediate priority, TEU is seeking a commitment to restore the rights and protections removed from the Employment Relations Act by the current Government within the first 100 days of a new administration.
Longer term, TEU is working alongside the wider union movement to achieve comprehensive reform of employment law, with the goal of creating a modern, fit-for-purpose Workers Rights Act that better reflects the realities of work in Aotearoa today.
We recognise that members have a broad range of concerns and aspirations. These are issues that sit at the heart of what TEU members tell us and are where our advocacy can have the greatest impact for members, learners, and the future of tertiary education in Aotearoa.
Are you and your whānau enrolled?
One thing you can do right now is ask the people around you if they are enrolled.
If you're giving presentations to students, you could cut and paste this QR code or paste this Electoral Commission link into your presentation which will allow them to quickly check their details. Everyone must be enrolled by midnight on 25 October this year or they cannot vote.
NZCER members say yes to e-bike subsidies
Biking to work just got easier for staff at New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) with the adoption of Workride Plus.
This scheme allows you to take a percentage amount out of your pay before the tax towards the cost of a bike for work commutes. The payments are spread over 12 months, but you get to use the bike straight away. Tax legislation was amended in 2023 to enable certain forms of employer-subsidised transport to be exempt from Fringe Benefit Tax.
NZCER staff first brought the scheme to their employers attention in 2024 and were told it was too difficult to explore at that time. Staff asked again in 2026, discovering the new “Workride Plus” option had been launched to address some employer hesitations over the scheme. NZCER took another look and signed on. Within days, several staff had purchased e-bikes and begun cycling to work.
“NZCER’s collective employment agreement includes clauses about climate change and sustainability. This is one practical way we walk – or rather bike - the talk,” says TEU member Teresa Maguire. Members Jo MacDonald and Bronwyn Gibbs affirm that e-biking to work has been “life-changing”.
Other workplaces exploring the scheme are Otago Polytech, Te Whare Wānanga o Awnuiārangi, Toi Ohomai, Wintec, and several Universities.
You can read more about the scheme here.
A similar scheme exists for public transport – Extraordinary Pay.
Does your workplace provide subsidies or support for your work commute, particularly lower-cost and more sustainable options? Let us know.
Report from Council of Pacific Education
The Council of Pacific Education (COPE) is a union-based council that coordinates activities within the Asia-Pacific region and interfaces directly with global education union, Education International. National President Māori, Garrick Cooper, and VP on the Council of Pacific Education (COPE), recently attended the Executive Meeting.
The Meeting, led by Secretary General Neselinda Meta, included presenting a strategy to address gender equity in educational leadership across the Pacific, initiatives to bridge the digital divide affecting remote learners, and efforts to integrate education into national government climate adaptation strategies. The executive expressed strong support for the work being driven by Neselinda and her team.
Meeting attendees also participated in Pacific Island teacher union associations workshop as a part of the global Education International campaign, "Go Public! Fund Education". This campaign is aimed at safeguarding quality public education by pushing back against privatisation and government austerity measures that undermine our schools. While the geographic dispersion of the Pacific presents unique challenges for organising, the workshop focus on agitating, organising, and protecting educational standards across the region inspired participants.
Garrick says he left the hui feeling very optimistic about the leadership, plan and strategy to address the issues that are important to Pacific Island education and educators.
Reminder! Pay equity conversation series starts in Auckland on 20 July
For decades we have been fighting for pay equity, and now in 2026, we have a choice – will pay equity remain an unfinished promise — or will it become a defining issue of the General Election?
If you’re in Auckland on 20 July come and hear a lively conversation between four incredible women led by TEU’s own Amy Ross.
WHEN: Monday 20 July, 5pm - 6:30pm
WHERE: 102-G36 (OGH Lecture theatre), Auckland University, 106-204 Symonds Street, Auckland
Register here
