NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Charter school pays top dollar for teachers

Nicholas Jones
By Nicholas Jones
Investigative Reporter·NZ Herald·
12 Feb, 2014 04:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Rangitoto College. Photo / NZPA

Rangitoto College. Photo / NZPA

Military academy offers up to $16,000 more but says challenge, not money, is the attraction.

New Zealand's largest secondary school lost five teachers after a charter school was established nearby which could offer better salaries.

The Labour Party says the situation shows the Government has created a playing field that's not level between the new schools and state counterparts, to ensure the controversial charter or "partnership" schools succeed.

But Vanguard Military School, which now employs the former Rangitoto College staff, said its challenging new environment was the main drawcard - not more money. Both schools are on Auckland's North Shore.

Rangitoto principal David Hodge told the Herald five teachers had chosen to move to Vanguard at the end of last year.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They took up top positions including the partnership school's principal, deputy-principal, head of science, head of mathematics and head of English.

Mr Hodge said some of the salaries at Vanguard, in Albany, were about $16,000 more than his school could offer.

However, he said movement of staff between schools was normal and not disappointing. Rangitoto College employs more than 180 teachers.

"It's good for [the teachers], isn't it? If that's what they want, then that's what they're getting. It's a bonus for them."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Other charter schools have employed experienced teachers working in their area, but none as many as five from the one school.

Vanguard chief executive Nick Hyde said opponents of the partnership school model had complained such schools would be able to employ non-registered teachers.

The alternative was to recruit teachers from existing schools.

Vanguard's principal, Rockley Montgomery, had been granted an early release from Rangitoto, for which Mr Hyde said he was grateful.

Discover more

New Zealand|education

Taxpayers fund charter school ads

22 Jan 04:30 PM
New Zealand|education

Critics find praise for support plan

23 Jan 04:30 PM
Opinion

Bryce Edwards: Political roundup: National's super-smart step to the left

24 Jan 01:50 AM
Opinion

Peter Lyons: School dreams turn to nightmares

29 Jan 04:30 PM

"Rangitoto is a very big school, decile 10. I don't think David Hodge would have found any difficulty in replacing five staff ... There would be plenty of people who would want to work at that school."

Mr Hyde did not know what his staff were paid during their time at Rangitoto, but said he believed the appeal to change was not money. Vanguard has nine staff.

"You're dealing with a unique demographic of kids, and there are a number of staff who wanted to be involved with the school because their whole reason for being involved in teaching was to help children."

Labour's education spokesman, Chris Hipkins, has gone on the attack over charter schools this week, vowing to scrap them should his party return to power.

He said state and state-integrated schools received average funding per student of about $7000, but Vanguard received funding of $19,664 per student this year.

"Robbing good teachers out of one school to put them into a charter school isn't going to raise the overall standard of education for all children in New Zealand," Mr Hipkins said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

However, Education Minister Hekia Parata said Labour's comparison was flawed as it calculated the per student rate on partnership schools' opening rolls, not that projected over their possible 18-year contract.

She said if that had been done the funding would be comparable for state schools with similar characteristics such as size.

Partnership schools' funding was based partly on their meeting student achievement outcomes, and they could be shut down if that did not happen.

Ms Parata said greater accountability came with more flexibility about how to spend their money.

"In Vanguard, clearly they have chosen staff at a particular level of salary, because they expect that to deliver achievement."

Rangitoto College
* Students: 2983
* Number of teaching staff: More than 180
* Principal: David Hodge

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Vanguard Military School
* Students: 108
* Number of teaching staff: 9
* Principal: Rockley Montgomery.

nzherald.co.nz
To read our education coverage online visit tinyurl.com/heraldeducation

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Police investigating unexplained death after discovery of man’s body in Northland

09 May 06:18 AM
Politics

'Shame on you Brooke': Hundreds brave downpours to protest Govt’s pay equity changes

09 May 06:16 AM
New Zealand

MetService Severe Weather Update - Friday 9 May

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Police investigating unexplained death after discovery of man’s body in Northland

Police investigating unexplained death after discovery of man’s body in Northland

09 May 06:18 AM

The property has been cordoned off and a police guard is in place.

'Shame on you Brooke': Hundreds brave downpours to protest Govt’s pay equity changes

'Shame on you Brooke': Hundreds brave downpours to protest Govt’s pay equity changes

09 May 06:16 AM
Flights delayed at Auckland Airport as intense rain batters city, sparking surface flooding

Flights delayed at Auckland Airport as intense rain batters city, sparking surface flooding

09 May 05:38 AM
Avondale man accused of murdering partner loses name suppression

Avondale man accused of murdering partner loses name suppression

09 May 05:38 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP