Nearly every unionised teacher is walking off the job on March 16 in protest after negotiations over wages and working conditions stalled.

Like many workers all over the country, teachers have seen their wages stagnate against the rising cost of living.

Meanwhile, students need more than ever from their educators after years of Covid-19 lockdowns and health impacts, unions say.

Here are some numbers that break down where teachers are at.

66,000

The combined membership of the two teacher unions organising the industrial action, representing kindergarten teachers, primary and secondary teachers, and principals: The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa, and the Post-Primary Teachers Association (PPTA).

$51,358 – $90,000

The range a qualified primary or secondary school teacher can expect to earn, starting from when they earn their Bachelor of Teaching all the way up to if they get their Master's or PhD. $90,000 is the maximum salary a qualified teacher can earn unless they add extracurricular work, also known as units, to their schedule.

7.2 per cent

The rate of inflation in New Zealand now, and the benchmark for where salaries should be increased to, according to the teacher unions.

Both unions have rejected government offers which would have given teachers a 6.7% increase, on average across the work force.

Specifically, the government wanted to offer all secondary teachers a flat sum of $4000 the year their new agreement was signed, and another $2000 the year after.

Both unions agreed that didn't come close to keeping up with the cost of living.

943

The number of additional secondary teachers the PPTA says are needed to support students whose mental health and social needs are increasing – about 2.5 teachers for each of the 377 secondary schools nationwide.

34 per cent

Teachers aren't alone. This is the proportion of New Zealanders who didn't get a pay rise in 2022, according to the Labour Cost Index data, published by Stats NZ.

It also reported education pay rose just 1.6% in the last year.

NZ Council of Trade Unions economist Craig Renney says people whose pay was not keeping up with inflation were experiencing a pay cut in real terms.

2019

The last year that teachers went on strike for better pay and working conditions. At the time, some 50,000 primary and secondary teachers walked off the job, rejecting a $698 million pay improvement package for primary teachers and principals, and a $500m package for secondary teachers.

Back then, now Prime Minister and then Education Minister Chris Hipkins told teachers that the offer was 'it”.

- Sapeer Mayron/Stuff.