Teacher unions have suspended all industrial action following a meeting with Education Minister Jan Tinetti.

Tinetti organised a meeting between the Post Primary Teachers' Association, the Educational Institute and the Education Ministry on Friday.

All parties say the PPTA and NZEI have suspended all industrial action until the end of Tuesday next week while the Ministry of Education works "with urgency" on new pay offers.

They say the agreement could be extended beyond May 30 by mutual agreement by all parties if required.

The agreement covers primary, secondary and area school teachers and primary and area school principals.

"The minster will continue to support the Ministry of Education, NZEI and PPTA to work together to negotiate an achievable solution," they say.

PPTA members were scheduled to refuse to teach Year 11 students on Thursday and Year 13 students on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, primary and area school principals were in the midst of a ban on work involving the ministry, and primary school teachers were scheduled to finish voting on possible industrial action on Monday.

In a message to members obtained by RNZ, NZEI president Mark Potter says Friday's "meeting was constructive, and the parties shared a willingness to work towards a solution".

He says the union's members could strike on May 31 if they voted to strike in their current ballot.

The Ministry of Education has offered school and kindergarten teachers broadly similar deals; three pay rises over three years providing a total increase of 11-13.9 per cent.

Kindergarten teachers accepted the offer, but school teachers did not, telling RNZ the pay rise would be equivalent to about half the rate of inflation for most teachers, who were paid at or near the $90,000 top of their pay scale.

Members of the PPTA had so far held three one-day strikes including rolling regional strikes earlier this month and two strikes in March, one of which was in conjunction with primary and kindergarten teachers.

-John Gerritsen/RNZ.