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Almost three-quarters of teachers short-listed for teaching jobs in Auckland primary schools are not considered up to scratch, a survey has found, and the shortage is expected to worsen.
School heads rated 73 per cent of short-listed applicants in November and December as "very poor" or "poor", the Auckland Primary Principals' Association staffing survey found.
Almost half the applicants were beginning teachers - meaning they had less than two years' experience and needed mentoring - and a third were applying from overseas.
In total 79 primary and intermediate schools in the Auckland region responded to the survey. All were struggling with staffing.
Association president Ken Pemberton said the teacher supply crisis was the worst in about 15 years.
"We believe it's coming to a head," he said.
Experienced teachers were being lured to more lucrative jobs overseas or contract positions locally.
"People are starting to throw in the job because it's too hard."
With lower student-to-staff ratios for new entrants to start later this year, the Ministry of Education has predicted the supply of experienced primary school teachers will become "very tight".
Spokesman Iain Butler said the ministry was confident there were enough teachers to go around.
"While we acknowledge that the teacher supply situation, particularly in Auckland, will be difficult this year, we are confident that positions will eventually be filled."
A good supply of quality teachers is considered essential to student success.
The ministry wrote in briefing notes to incoming Education Minister Chris Carter last year that there was pressure on teacher supply in parts of Auckland and Northland and subject areas such as technology, te reo Maori, home economics, mathematics, chemistry and physics.
TeachNZ relaunched its scholarships in September to try to attract trainees in areas feeling the strain.
Other initiatives to ease pressure included recruiting overseas, adding primary school teachers to the international skills shortages list and helping former teachers update their skills.
The principals' association called for a $5000 grant to be introduced for experienced teachers to relocate to Auckland in a bid to ease the problem.
But Mr Butler said certain payment provisions were already in place, including a $3000 payment for teachers who relocate to areas that are hard to staff, such as South Auckland.
The survey showed the shortage was not just confined to full-time positions. Finding teachers to cover sick days was also difficult.
Just a quarter of responding schools did not have problems getting day-relief teachers.
