Fair pay and respect for Evolve teachers and support staff!

 Dear Barry,  

As teachers, support staff, parents, and community members, we care deeply about tamariki receiving the highest quality education and care possible.  

Teachers and support staff at Evolve early childhood centres* go above and beyond every day to ensure our youngest tamariki feel safe, loved, valued, and supported. They build meaningful relationships with children and whānau, nurture children’s wellbeing, foster learning and development, and create environments where every child has the opportunity to thrive.  

They give so much of themselves, often working more than their paid hours and through increasingly challenging conditions, because they believe every child deserves the very best start in life.  This work is essential to our communities and to the future of Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Your proposals, including changes to certified teachers’ pay that would leave them thousands of dollars worse off over in future years, cuts to relievers' pay, the removal of allowances, and failing to provide a pay increase in a cost-of-living crisis, sends the message that you don’t value this hard and essential work.  

Our children deserve educators who are well-supported, valued, and fairly paid. The people who dedicate their lives to this profession deserve to be treated with respect.   

We call on you to take all your cutbacks off the table and make an offer that reflects the reality of life in a cost-of-living crisis and values the essential and demanding work that goes into educating and caring for our youngest tamariki. 

*Evolve owns centres that operate under the brand names Active Explorers, Lollipops, Learning Adventures, Little Wonders, Pascals, Little Earth Montessori, and Little Lights.