High staff turnover, lack of retention and poor pay is pushing more than 50,000 teachers to take strike action.
It will close kindergartens through to high schools next Thursday after the unions rejected their latest pay offers.
But kura in Cyclone-hit areas can opt out of the closure because of the already high levels of disruption.
Charlotte Cook heard from Hawke's Bay head kindergarten teacher, Jess Duff, and Puketapu School principal Chris Fox.
