Schools facing staffing shortages are set to benefit from a new $7.5 million Teacher Bonding Scheme, Education Minister Erica Stanford confirmed on Friday. The programme replaces the Voluntary Bonding Scheme and the BeTTER Jobs Programme, both of which will end on 5 October.
Direct Payments to Teachers for Retention
The new scheme removes earlier limits by allowing all registered teachers with a 0.3 FTTE minimum to qualify. It provides annual payments reaching $40,000 over five years, $22,500 more than older programmes. The payments will go straight to teachers rather than being tied to student loans.
Rural Schools Welcome Policy Shift
The Rural Schools Leadership Association said it had worked with Stanford and the Ministry of Education’s Education Workforce team over the past 18 months to push for reform.
Association president and Ōropi School principal Andrew King called the changes “a huge win” for small and isolated schools.
He said earlier schemes were under-used because they were limited to new teachers and required a minimum FTTE of 0.8. “They will be able to use the money on what is important to them,” King said.
Targeted Funding for Priority Schools
A total of 185 places will be available each year, allocated under the Priority Staffing Schools criteria to ensure the funding reaches areas with the greatest teacher shortages. The scheme is intended to encourage recruitment and retention in rural communities, where staffing gaps have been most severe.