Primary, secondary teachers in New Zealand to strike nationally

WELLINGTON -- Primary and secondary teachers across New Zealand will take a joint strike action on Wednesday.

The joint strike will see the largest ever industrial action by New Zealand teachers, covering almost 50,000 members from the New Zealand Educational Institute and the Post Primary Teachers' Association.

Due to the nation-wide teachers' strike, 51 percent of New Zealand schools will be closed on Wednesday.

New Zealand Educational Institute president Lynda Stuart said that teachers are raising their voices together to say they need the government to prioritise addressing the education crisis.

"Giving teachers time to teach and to lead, and ensuring teaching is a viable long-term career choice, is essential if children are to get the teaching and learning they deserve," she said.

"The offers we have received from the government have not addressed the issues that our profession is facing. They will not turn around the crisis in education that is looming," she added.

Early this month, New Zealand government offered primary and secondary school teachers 1.2 billion New Zealand dollars ($785.64 million) worth of pay rises and other commitments. The country's Education Minister Chris Hipkins said that this is by far the biggest offer teachers have had in a decade.

However, the teachers' unions voted against the government offer and decided to take joint strike action.

This will be the third strike action by the teachers across New Zealand since the coalition government stepped up.