He Pitopito Kōrero
Issue 164
He Pitopito Kōrero
Mālō e lelei!
This week is Tongan language week | Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga. This year’s theme is 'E tu'uloa 'a e Lea faka-Tongá 'o ka lea'aki 'i 'api, siasí (lotú), mo e nofo-'a-kāingá’, which means the Tongan Language will be sustainable if used at home, church and in the wider community. There are more than 80,000 people of Tongan descent in Aotearoa and the largest age groups are the youngest – meaning many ākonga are enriched with Tongan culture.
A list of resources and events can be found here:
Tonga Language Week 2023 – Ministry for Pacific Peoples
This is the last bulletin of the term, and we will be back on Tuesday 17 October.
Have a restful break.
Malo ‘Aupito
Iona
Area School Principals’ Collective Agreement changes ratified 27 July
The agreement is effective from 3 July 2023 to 2 July 2025. The changes include:
- the lump-sum payments paid in pay period 14 (3 October)
- salary increases to the school roll-based salary (U-grade) component are effective from 3 July 2023, being paid in pay period 14 (3 October)
- new and changing provisions coming into effect in Terms 3 and 4
- key aspects of the settlement, including a roadmap setting out when the various changes within the collective will be effective.
Changes to Area School Principals’ Collective Agreement – Ministry of Education
Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement ratified 18 August
The agreement is effective from 3 July 2023 to 2 July 2025. The content includes salary increases effective from 3 July.
Education Payroll is implementing the lump sum payments by 5 September and the rest of the settlement by 15 November. You can read about the settlement and download it from our website:
Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement changes ratified 9 August
The agreement is effective from 3 July 2022 to 2 July 2025. The changes include:
- lump-sum payments paid to members of PPTA Te Wehengarua in pay period 12 (5 September)
- salary increases effective from 3 July, being paid in pay period 15 (18 October)
- new and changing provisions coming into effect in Terms 3 and 4
- key aspects of the settlement, including a roadmap setting out when the various changes within the collective will be effective.
Changes to the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement 2022–2025 – Ministry of Education
Variations to Support Staff in the Schools’ and Kaiārahi I te Reo and Therapists’ collective agreements
The variations were agreed on 27 July and includes the impact on pay rates, lump-sum payments, and information for non-union employees. Schools | kura will receive additional funding for the increased costs associated with the variations to these collective agreements.
Read more about the variations here:
We've received a number of queries about the impact of lump sum payments for primary teachers following settlement of the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement. We've included Iona's letter to NZEI Te Riu Roa National Secretary Stephanie Mills, which responds to some of these queries.
Primary's Teacher Collective Agreement letter to Stephanie Mills [PDF, 111 KB]
Managing sick leave deductions
The teacher and principal collective agreements include changes so that sick leave will only be deducted on days that the school | kura is open for instruction and days, which would normally have been worked. This means sick leave over a weekend will no longer be deducted. Changes to the payroll system to reflect this change will be implemented by the start of Term 1 2024, including any correction to sick leave entitlements.
If you have an employee who may exhaust their sick leave balance and would be negatively impacted ahead of the implementation change date (Term 1 2024), please contact your payroll administrator (they are able to instruct EPL to make a manual adjustment to restore sick leave entitlement that falls over a weekend).
From 2 October: New online system for school-led infrastructure projects
The final day for submitting manual paperwork under the old process will be 21 September. To use the new system, your delegated financial authoriser must complete the module ‘kura school led project management forms – schools’ in the Learning Management System (LMS) catalogue.
Login to the LMS catalogue – Education Learning Management System
For more information, visit our website:
Plan ahead for your November teacher-only day
You have been allocated four teacher-only days (TODs) to prepare for the implementation of curriculum and assessment changes. The timeframe for holding the second TOD is between 13 and 24 November. You are encouraged to coordinate the timing of the TOD with other schools | kura in your area to help mitigate disruption for parents. Contact your local Te Mahau office to discuss planning:
Local Ministry offices – Ministry of Education
Resources to support the November TOD will be available online in the week of 18 September.
Estimated pay equity and collective agreement funding instalment for October
On 2 October you will receive the next instalment of estimated funding for non-teaching pay equity settlements and collective agreements, which will be paid via Pourato under the payment type 'Non-teach support PE and CA funding'.
On 27 September you will be sent a letter via the Secure Data Portal (SDP) with the breakdown of this funding .
Further information about pay equity settlements and collective agreements can be found on our website:
Pay equity funding – Ministry of Education
Collective agreements: Non-teaching staff – Ministry of Education
Any queries, email operational.support@education.govt.nz.
Schools’ resourcing information for 2023/2024
Private School Circular 2024 will be published on 13 September.
Provisional roll and resourcing entitlements: On 15 September, the 2024 provisional rolls will be published on Pourato and can be viewed under the ‘rolls’ tab. To view the 2024 roll, ensure the year 2024 has been selected in the drop-down on the top right-hand side of the roll’s screen.
School boards can apply for a review of their 2024 provisional roll between 18 September to 17 November. To request a review, visit our website:
Provisional roll review – Ministry of Education
Equity Indices (EQI) are recalculated annually. Your 2024 EQI number will be displayed on your indicative operational funding. More information about the EQI can be found:
The Equity Index – Ministry of Education
2023 quarter 4 operational funding will be published on Pourato on 22 September. Visit our website for instructions on how to access it.
Banking staffing – Ministry adjustment – teacher strikes
If teachers | kaiako took part in strike action this year, and you have been overcharged on your banking staffing, there will be an additional staffing adjustment in Pourato. These will be processed from 4 September.
A request titled ‘Ministry adjustment – teacher strike’ will appear under the ‘additional staffing’ on the ‘your entitlement’ tab. The full-time teacher equivalent (FTTE) will offset your banking staffing usage for the relevant pay period of the strike day. Attached to these requests will be a letter detailing the teacher’s MOE numbers and the breakdown of the adjustments. You will receive email notification when the teacher strike adjustment has been added.
For support on banking staffing, contact: resourcing@education.govt.nz.
School donations scheme: As with previous years, the school donations scheme opt-in process remains aligned with your July roll return. If you have already opted-in to the scheme for 2024, no further action is required.
For teen parent units, activity centres and other attached units that can’t opt-in as part of the July roll return submission, you can opt-in by completing the 2024 donations scheme opt-in form before 20 November:
2024 Donations scheme opt-in form – Ministry of Education
A small number of schools | kura will be newly eligible to opt-in to the scheme with a 2024 EQI of 432 or above. Those schools | kura can find out more on our website:
Fees, charges and donations – Ministry of Education
If you have questions about the donations scheme, contact our team on (04) 463 8383 or email us at school.donations@education.govt.nz.
Staffing ratio changes: The planned reduction to the Year 4 to 8 English-medium curriculum staffing ratio will occur for the start of the 2025 staffing year when the ratio will reduce from 1:29 to 1:28. No change to the ratio will be made for 2024.
If you have any questions about staffing ratio changes, email resourcing@education.govt.nz.
Classroom release time 2024: The 2024 changes have been applied in Pourato to the classroom release time calculations for primary, intermediate, specialist and restricted composite schools. You will be able to view them when the provisional rolls for 2024 are published.
Education and Training Amendment Act
In late August the Education and Training Amendment Act 2023 became law. This Act includes changes that will affect the early childhood education and schooling sectors. You can find information on these changes here:
The Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 3) – Ministry of Education
School board eligibility changes will come into force on 22 February 2024, and all other legislation changes came into force on 22 August.
Principal eligibility criteria released
On 29 August we released the principal eligibility criteria for English-medium schools.
The Minister of Education has approved the criteria so they can be reviewed before being formally issued as a requirement for boards to use in the appointment process from 1 March 2024.
You can find the criteria here:
ENROL update
There is an update scheduled for ENROL in mid-late September to add and change some functionality.
To read about the upcoming changes, visit our website:
Upcoming changes to ENROL – Ministry of Education
We will inform your registered ENROL contact when these updates go live.
Improving outcomes in mathematics education
A new best-evidence in action feature available on Education Counts highlights Takanini School’s engagement with Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities (DMIC) professional development.
Improving outcomes in mathematics education – Education Counts
Meningococcal B vaccine update
Meningococcal B (MenB) vaccines are free for young people aged 13–25 years (inclusive).
A letter from the National Immunisation Programme provides information on the funded MenB vaccine can be found here:
Awards for gifted learners
Applications close on 9 October. Gifted learners in early learning up to school leaving age could receive up to $2,500 per student | ākonga or up to $5,000 to a group of students | ākonga.
Gifted study award
This award is also available to support teachers | kaiako undertaking the Massey University Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching (Gifted Education). Applications close on 12 September.
Gifted study award – Ministry of Education
For queries about these awards, email gifted.enquiries@education.govt.nz.
Property project and programme management panel
We have released a notice of intent to inform suppliers about our plan to go to market to establish of a single, mandatory property project and programme management panel to replace our existing major and minor project management panels. Please share this update with your networks who would like to continue working with us and/or you and be part of this panel.
Notice of intent – GETS – New Zealand Government
Any questions, email strategicinitiatives.procurement@education.govt.nz.