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Kindergarten teachers have voted in favour of a new agreement that will improve their working conditions.
The decision follows four months of negotiations between the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Educational Institute, a union which represents about 1700 teachers.
Teachers attended 44 meetings around the country over the past two weeks, and 95 per cent of them voted in favour of the new employment deal.
A union spokeswoman said the settlement offered more flexibility to communities while meeting the teachers' requirement to maintain a quality level of education at a time when operating hours were changing.
Changes included the introduction of the 20 free hours for 3- and 4-year-olds.
