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APPA Workforce Survey Summary

Thank you to those who completed the staffing survey. Below is a summary that will support data and evidence gathered by the Workforce WAG so that APPA can clearly articulate the realities faced in your schools.

A summary of the APPA Staffing Survey, completed by 191 APPA Principals in Tamaki Makaurau.

CURRENT VACANCIES

80% (15) of Principals reported 0 or 1 current vacancy. However, Principals expressed low confidence in being fully staffed for the remainder of 2025, indicating that even with seemingly low vacancies, filling them is challenging, or principals are creatively filling positions.

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

Quality of Applicants:

Principals stated that "many, many overseas applicants whose written English is not that good" and who have "no understanding of the NZC".
The quality of applicants is frequently described as "poor," and there's a strong sentiment that there are "not enough availability of good quality people," especially NZ-trained teachers.
Some principals feel forced to employ "completely unsuitable” teachers due to the lack of suitable options.

Suitable Applicants per Position:
The distribution of suitable applicants per position (considered for interview) was:

7% (13 Principals) of positions received no suitable applicants.
35% (65 Principals} received 1 suitable applicant.
29% (54 Principals) received 2 suitable applicants.
15% (28 Principals) received 3 suitable applicants.
3% (5 Principals) received 4 suitable applicants.
2% (4 Principals) received 5+ suitable applicants.

Staff Retention:
Principals stated that teachers are leaving the school was;

Pursuit of leadership roles
Pursuit of part-time or job-share roles
Relief teaching (CRT) - teaching without the workload
Overseas opportunities and travel

Recruitment Agencies
In 2025, 24% (45) Principals had accessed recruitment agencies. Several principals reported using these agencies but mentioned high costs associated with them.

Overseas Teacher Recruitment:
22% (41) of Principals had recruited teachers from overseas.

Board Contribution for Additional Staffing Over Entitlement:

Less than $50,000: 26% (50 schools).
$50,000 - $100,000: 16% (30 schools).
$100,000 - $150,000: 10% (18 schools).
$150,000 - $200,000: 6% (12 schools).
$200,000 - $250,000: 3% (6 schools).
$250,000+: 2% (4 schools).

RELIEF TEACHER SUPPLY

66% (113) Principals described finding relievers as "extremely difficult" or "difficult" (unable to find adequate relievers more than 50% of the time, or 50% of the time, respectively).

Strategies for Covering Classes:

senior leadership/principal covering classes (162 responses),
loss of CRT (120 responses),
use of Kahui Ako non-contact time (53 responses),
specialist/support classes (78 responses),
PRT release (85 responses).

Increased CRT days are noted to have "soaked up" relievers and part-time staff, making them harder to find.

PRINCIPAL WORKFORCE

69% (130) Principals stated they “love their job’
37% (72) Principals feel "overwhelmed, burned out, and unable to sustain the workload"
55% (103) Principals stated that, in 5 years, they look forward to doing the same role or leading a bigger
school
34% (63) Principals stated that in the next 5 years, they would seek roles outside of education
11% (20) Principals were undecided or retirement age

CONCLUSION

A positive sentiment among principals is their love for the job, which is overshadowed by a pervasive feeling of

unsustainability and burnout.

The key workforce challenges include.

A severe shortage of quality, New Zealand-trained teachers
Ongoing difficulties in retaining experienced staff,
A critical lack of relief teachers.

These issues collectively lead to compromised educational environments and place immense pressure on school leaders, necessitating urgent systemic intervention.