Nasty shock for teachers returning from lockdown as their registration fee more than doubles

May 15, 2020

The Teacher’s Council moved on the hike yesterday afternoon, after receiving more than $16 million in the Budget.

Teachers got a nasty shock yesterday as the New Zealand Teaching Council announced it would be doubling teacher registration fees.

The hike was approved yesterday afternoon, just an hour the council received more than $16.5 million in the Budget.

It previously cost $220 to be registered for three years - now it will be over $470.

“It seems a little bit ill-timed because we've literally just come out of lockdown, working hard the whole time that we've been in lockdown and it hasn't really been at the front of our minds,” says science teacher Georgette Lampitt.

The Budget 2020 cash injection only fills an immediate shortfall created by moving from a three-year fee to an annual fee, according to the council.

“We would have liked to have waited for a week or two to enable teachers to get back into classrooms and centres, but it was a balance of what was actually more helpful,” says Lesley Hoskin of the NZ Teaching Council.

It’s been 10 years since the last fee increase, and council officials say the Government could have chipped in to lower the cost of registration.

“Actually, this was triggered by the reforms that the last National Government did to the way the Teaching Council operates, the way the regulatory system around teachers operates, and does give teachers control over their own profession,” says Education Minister Chris Hipkins.

The council is still working on the now annual registration process, but promises it will be easier.

“This is a massive step backwards for teachers so that's not great really,” says Ms Lampitt.

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