Te Wānanga o Aotearoa settlement a win for low paid staff.

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union members at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa voted to ratify a new collective agreement a few weeks ago.

The new one-year deal removes the bottom step from pay scales, moves some staff to a new salary step, delivers a 4% pay increase to lower-paid teaching staff and includes a commitment from the employer to explore improvements to salary progression over the term of the agreement.

Kaiwhakahaere | Organiser Lois France says TEU members are particularly satisfied that, as a result of the deal, no kaimahi will be paid below the Living Wage. “Pay in the wānanga sector is low, and that is something we will continue to address, but in the meantime it’s good to see some progress for those at the lower end of the pay scale.”

“Our goal is to have staff in the tertiary education sector paid at least the Living Wage. We are committed to continuing the momentum, ensuring promises are kept to address workloads and progression and building on these gains in the 2025 negotiations.”