Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said the change was to make New Zealand a "competitive destination for overseas talent." Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The government is making it easier for teachers coming to New Zealand to apply for residency faster, with Immigration Minister Erica Stanford saying they're making New Zealand a "competitive destination for overseas talent."
From late next month, primary teachers with a job offer from an accredited employer in the country will be able to apply for residency without first working for two years.
It comes after a warning from the Ministry of Education schools could be short 1250 teachers this year.
Stanford said a "teacher shortage not only impacts students, but other staff as well."
"To attract skilled teachers from offshore to help address this, we are making New Zealand a competitive destination for overseas talent by moving primary teachers to the Straight to Residence pathway."
From 26 March, the streamlined process will allow eligible primary and intermediate teachers - and Māori medium equivalents - with a job offer to apply for residence.
Last year, the government shifted secondary school teachers to the Straight to Residency pathway, resulting in 480 new teachers.
This benefited thousands of students, said Stanford, and "around 1170 people were supported with an Overseas Relocation Grant of up to $10,000 when coming to New Zealand."
Stanford added immigration is only one lever the coalition is pulling to grow the workforce. She listed a $53 million investment to double the School Onsite Training Programme, "so 1200 aspiring teachers can train in the classroom."
"The Ministry of Education is also subsidising training and financial assistance for trainees across primary and secondary and a range of subjects."
Data used for teaching workforce projections was "unreliable"- minister
Data outlining the number of teachers that would be needed to fill gaps in schools had been "wholly unreliable", Stanford said.
The Ministry of Education last week admitted data used in workforce projects for teaching staff in 2025 had not accounted for changes to staffing after changes in the teachers collective agreement - resulting in it underestimating the number of teachers needed.
Speaking to Midday Report on Tuesday, Stanford said the government had made the decision to fast-track residency applications for secondary school teachers coming from overseas "a year ago when we had data that showed we were short." However she said the data at the time showed they were not going to be short of primary teachers, so they didn't make the immigration change for primary and intermediate school teachers then.
"But now we can see clearly we are going to need more help to get primary school teachers into classrooms, we've made sure we are having that fast track pathway to residence for ... primary school teachers, as well."
Stanford said she questioned the data at the time, which at that time had indicated they would have an extra 700 primary teachers in 2025.
"I'd had feedback from principals that didn't match the data."
Stanford said the data she had been receiving was "wholly unreliable, which is frustrating."
She had now received more reliable data, but said she did rely on her instincts and "what the sector was telling me", and put other things in place to deal with the issue.
"We made sure that things like the on site teacher training, which we doubled the numbers of, was available in primary school."
This had previously only been available at secondary.
"The only thing I didn't do was put primary school teachers on that fast track to residence, which is only one small part of a much bigger puzzle."
But she said the immigration change made now, "will help ease things."
"International teachers will always be part of the solution."
