Education Minister Chris Hipkins is steadfastly refusing to comment on whether the government will put up more money for teachers' pay, prompting questions about whether there's been a shift in position.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
Mr Hipkins had an all-day meeting with teacher unions last week which was announced the day after the government's Budget, which offered teachers little.
Mr Hipkins has repeatedly stated in the past there was no more money to put on the table for striking primary and secondary teachers.
He said his meeting with union representatives and the Ministry of Education was very constructive, and he was confident sufficient progress was being made to find a way forward.
When asked by reporters this morning, Mr Hipkins would not say if there was still no more money to offer.
"I'm not going to comment on anything until announcements are made in due course.
"There's a little bit of water to flow under the bridge yet, in terms of there's details to work through and so on," he said.
Mr Hipkins said he expected an announcement would be made later this week.
However, he would not be drawn on whether that announcement would include a new offer.
"I'm not going to speculate on that, you'll just have to wait a couple more days," Mr Hipkins said.