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School principals will vote this week on forming a breakaway union.
Plans to convert the Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand (SPANZ) into a stand-alone union will be discussed at its annual meeting in Nelson on Tuesday.
SPANZ represents about 320 of New Zealand's 400 secondary principals. Many are members of the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) which has a separate arm to represent them, the Secondary Principals Council.
The Herald on Sunday understands some principals think the PPTA favours teachers because they make up the bulk of its membership. If there is a dispute, the PPTA also automatically supports a teacher over a principal.
SPANZ president Peter Gall confirmed plans for the union had been drawn up but would not reveal details. Gall said secondary principals earned between $110,000 and $165,000 a year. He said a new union might push for pay negotiations with boards of trustees rather than the Government.
Secondary Principals Council chairman Arthur Graves warned principals the breakaway could hinder future pay talks for PPTA members.
Auckland Grammar principal John Morris said he would back the new union "whole-heartedly".#"I find it difficult to see how the PPTA can support both teachers and principals," he said.
The three-day SPANZ conference starts today.
