About 50,000 teachers have marched today across the country demanding an increase in pay and better working conditions.
The industrial action has been called the biggest teacher strike in New Zealand and it is the first time both primary and secondary teaching staff have taken action at the same time.
Teachers have rejected the Government's $1.2 billion offer, but Education Minister Chris Hipkins told TVNZ1's Breakfast today the Government's maintaining its stance that there's no more money.
It was the biggest strike in New Zealand’s history.
Speaking outside parliament, Mr Hipkins told a vocal crowd that he couldn't make any promises of quick solutions, but said his government is listening and is doing its best to improve the education system and solve problems he said were caused by previous governments.
Live updates have now concluded - you can read through as it happened below:
1.58 - Education Minister Chris Hipkins has heard calls for him to come out of the Parliament buildings to address the crowd, which he has - and he was mercilessly heckled and booed as he spoke.
Mr Hipkins told protestors some of the problems with the education system were not made by the current Government.
As Mr Hipkins acknowledged the protestor's concerns and spoke about how changing the education system "will take some time", he was met with a loud chant of "not good enough" - enough to halt his speech.
He went on to talk about how the teacher shortage "was not of this government's making", adding that "we will address it, and we are".
Mr Hipkins was repeatedly heckled by the crowd as he told them his government is committed to listening to them.
He backed away from promising any kind of pay increase.
"I acknowledge you want more progress, and you want it to be faster, and I cannot offer you that," he said.
"What I can offer you is that we will continue to listne and that we will continue to work with the teaching profession."
There was plenty of colour as teachers marched along the Avon River before their rally.
1.29 - Protesters at Parliament have begun chanting "come out, Chris" - referring to Education Minister Chris Hipkins. It is not known whether Mr Hipkins is inside the parliament buildings.
1.14 - NZEI president Lynda Stuart told the crowd in Auckland that further strike action is likely.
"None of us here made the choice to strike lightly," she said.
"Our wages have fallen behind due to chronic under-investment in the last few years.
"I'm prepared to keep on going until we get the outcomes that we need for teaching leading and learning.
"That means more strike action if the government doesn't take urgent action to fix this now.
"Of course, none of us want to strike and I hope that the government will listen to us, and that they'll act and they'll address our offers and our issues."
1.02 - Auckland Transport says Queen Street in Auckland has now re-opened with traffic and bus services in the area returning to normal.
12.57 - A sizeable group of protesters in Wellington have made their way from Aotea Square to the Parliament grounds.
Organisers estimate numbers to be about 5000, and the unions have asked politicians to not speak at the rally.
12.38 - In Auckland , protesters have filled Aotea Square, with signs reading things like:
"I'd rather be teaching - but this is important"
"Teachers just wanna have f̶u̶n̶ funds"
"I shouldn't have to marry a sugar daddy to teach in Auckland"
"Hurt our schools - hurt our future"
"How can we put students first when the government puts teachers last?"
12.20 - Images from Hamilton show a sizeable crowd, which has marched up Victoria Street to Garden Place.
12.12 - PPTA president Jack Boyle told the crowd in Christchurch that "we've asked, we've explained, we've shown, we've taken our government by the hand through every issue.
"Today, we need them to stop the excuses, and work with us to find solutions," he said.
11.55 - In Christchurch , a large crowd of hundreds of teachers have gathered to demand a pay increase.
NZEI National Secretary Paul Goulter told the crowd that teachers today are standing up to make "just claims" about their working conditions.
"The claim to be paid what you're worth, the claim to be paid enough to retain and attract you in your jobs, the claim to receive the resources to remove the dreadful workloads you currently work under, and give you time to teach and time to lead, and for our primary teachers - the right to pay parity where they are paid the same as a secondary teacher," Mr Goulter said.
"This is about the government's obligation to fund the education system to ensure every child has that right to succeed - it's being denied because this government will not put its hand in its pocket.
"This government, if it truly believes in a quality public education system that our tamariki deserve, it has to bring out the best and it has to pay neough for the best and it has to pay neough to keep you people in your jobs."
11.51 - Auckland 's Queen Street is packed with teachers and their supporters with a very large protest march beginning about noon.
11.48 - Hundreds of teachers have marched in Napier this morning down Emerson Street.
Hundreds of teachers and their supporters marched down Napier’s Emerson Street.
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