Thousands of primary teachers around the country walked off the job today, in an attempt to combat what they say is an underfunded education sector.
In Wellington, about 4000 teachers met near Westpac Stadium, marching down to Parliament where they gathered, yelling "enough is enough".
It is estimated about 30,000 primary teachers and principals went on strike today.
Protesters carried signs that red, 'Teachers deserve more', 'The 80s called, they want their salaries back' and 'This wouldn't happen at Hogwarts'.
"More teachers now!" also rang out as parents and school children joined the rally to support the staff.
Labour and Green MPs including co-leader Marama Davidson stood at the march, along with NZ First MP Tracey Martin. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister for Education Chris Hipkins spoke to the crowd of people.
"I am here today to ask you to work with us as we try to move forward," Ms Ardern said.
"We know there's a lot to do, and we want to work with you as we do it. Thank you for the work that you do."
Click here to watch the Wellington teachers' m arch.
National's Education spokesperson Nikki Kaye asked Mr Hipkins yesterday about the number of schools that had notified the Ministry of their closure.
"The Minister said in Parliament that there were 1264 primary schools which had notified the Ministry that they would close for tomorrow's strike. He failed to answer the question regarding the status of the other 700 schools," Ms Kaye said in a statement.
The Prime Minister told the throngs of Wellington teachers the country is in need of “radical change”.
"My hope is that the Government prioritises teachers and reaches a settlement which raises teachers' salaries and that parents and families do not experience further disruption. We realise some of the issues being negotiated are far wider than just pay but also cover teacher workload," Ms Kaye said.
ACT Leader David Seymour said the Government could provide teachers with a "decent" pay rise by "cutting the fat" from education bureaucracy.
"The Government should cut back office staff at the Education Ministry and use that money to pay hardworking teachers more," he said.
The group were among thousands of teachers to strike nationwide.
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