Education Minister Chris Hipkins has stepped in to try to broker an end to the teacher strikes that are causing massive disruption around New Zealand.
On Tuesday thousands of Year 9 students have a day off school because union members are refusing to teach them - it's the start of five weeks of industrial action by the secondary teachers over wages and conditions.
Last week they joined their primary school colleagues in a mega strike - the third time primary and intermediate teachers have walked off the job.
Minister Hipkins has called a meeting for Thursday in an effort to resolve the dispute. Neither he nor the unions would be interviewed ahead of the talks.
RNZ education correspondent John Gerritsen has the details.
