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Novopay payroll system - Source: ONE News
The Ministry of Education's new million-dollar electronic pay system is continuing to cause stress for some teachers.
The $30 million Novopay system supports about 90,000 teachers and has been plagued with problems since its roll-out in August. Over the first two pay rounds, thousands of staff were paid incorrectly.
This time, the ministry claims things have gone much smoother, but still about 100 teachers face shortfalls.
"It's just so annoying that we've spoken to so many people," says Wellington primary-school teacher Shelley Berry. "Everyone's said 'oh yeah, we'll help you out' and then nothing happens."
Berry has a new baby, a mortgage and bills to pay - a stressful time under any circumstances, but worse given the fact she has not been paid properly in two months.
She was left waiting for about $6000 due to glitches in the Novopay system.
"It's not acceptable that people aren't paid," says Ministry of Education information officer Leanne Gibson.
"But I have mechanisms in place to address those people that have underpayments or have not been paid."
Those mechanisms seemed to have failed Berry, who turned to her union - the New Zealand Educational Institute - only to face further frustration.
"We said, actually, how about access to a lawyer," she says. "But they said, no, it hadn't been quite long enough."
The NZEI wouldn't talk to ONE News about this specific situation, saying it could not comment on personal cases. But it did admit it was being inundated with complaints about the pay system and was working with the ministry to see the problems fixed.
Since ONE News began its investigation, Berry says she has been contacted by both her union and the ministry, and assured the money she is owed would be in her account by the end of Thursday.