Principals struggling to fill teaching positions have resorted to buying houses for staff as a last ditch attempt to offset the impact of the housing crisis.

A "perfect storm" has created a secondary school teaching shortage, exacerbated by teachers fleeing Auckland's skyrocketing house prices, a principal says.

A new survey of principals found about one in 10 schools reported they were unable to fill permanent positions after advertising.

FIONA GOODALL/FAIRFAX NZ Western Springs College teacher and PPTA member Melanie Webber says the housing crisis is having a huge impact on school staff.

The average secondary school teacher earns between $46,000 and $75,000 but the median Auckland house price is $812,000 - four times the value of a Southland house.

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The growing problem has led to education unions and the Ministry of Education to join forces to find solutions, but at least one principal is taking measures into his own hands to combat the teacher shortage.

Macleans College in Auckland is buying houses in the affluent suburb of Bucklands Beach, where the typical home sells for $1 million.

College principal Byron Bentley said a "perfect storm" of conditions had led to a shortage of secondary school teachers.

In a bid to attract applications, the school was offering accommodation assistance to teachers at the decile 10 school.

"We're exploring purchasing rentals for providing affordable accommodation for existing and future staff."

The school hoped to buy "a couple" of homes to rent to teachers at below market rates by 2017, he said.

It was not known how the school would fund the plan.

"We're certainly looking at it and I know a lot of other schools are too because we have to."

There were reports of a North Shore school considering a similar approach to attract teaching staff.

Macleans College has already advertised for teaching positions in 2017 - a practice normally left until the end of the year.

Bentley said eight teachers left the school in the past few years to move outside of Auckland due to rising property prices.

Compounding the problem was a lack of teacher graduates in maths and science subjects and the looming retirement of baby boomers.

Increasing school rolls and large numbers of international students also increased demand for teachers across Auckland, he said.

Bentley said teachers should be paid more to teach in the core hard-to-staff subjects.

There are currently no extra incentives for teachers working in hard-to-fill subjects, or for those working in the country's most populated city.

That means graduates can expect the same salary whether they work in Invercargill or Auckland, despite the huge divide in accommodation costs.

Secondary Principals' Association president Sandy Pasley said the teacher shortage was at "crisis point" in New Zealand.

Principals are finding it almost impossible to find quality teachers of science, maths, technology and Te Reo Maori, she said.

Many schools were already advertising for 2017.

There were 76 Auckland positions advertised on the Education Gazette this week, predominantly for science and maths teachers at high decile schools.​

The secondary school teachers union and the Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) are working with the Ministry of Education on a report into the teacher shortages.

The PPTA has released its own annual report into staffing issues based on a survey of principals.

Retiring teachers and Auckland housing costs were cited as two main concerns for principals.

Western Springs teacher Melanie Webber said very few teachers at the school owned a home in the Auckland suburb.

"Teachers can't actually afford to live in the suburb they teach in."

Auckland teacher graduates often took on debt after graduating, while teachers in more affordable cities saved money, Webber said.

"It just makes financial sense for people to move."

Education Minister Hekia Parata said the Ministry had no record of being approached by MacLeans College about house purchases.

"What I can say is that before investing in assets, school boards are required to demonstrate to the Ministry of Education that they not only have the funds to purchase the assets, but sufficient funds to meet ongoing costs."

Funding was to be used for the purpose for which it was granted by the Government, she said.

The Ministry of Education urged principals having issues with recruiting teachers to speak with them.

"They should get in touch with us, because we can and will assist and have assisted," spokeswoman Lisa Rodgers said.

STATE OF THE SECTOR

The PPTA's annual survey of principals revealed a snapshot of the teacher shortages in 2016:

* More teaching jobs were being advertised compared to the previous year

* Increase in number of unfilled permanent positions

* Application numbers dropped for the fourth year running

* Greatest recruitment concerns were the Auckland housing costs and retiring staff

* Of principals surveyed, 37 per cent expected to find it harder to recruit Kiwi teachers in 2016

* Principals also reported being less optimistic about retaining and recruiting teachers

* Maths, chemistry, physics, science, Te Reo and technology were the hardest jobs to fill

* A third of management positions had no suitable applicants

* Relief teaching pool lowest level since 2003, which is often a warning sign of teachers shortage

* One in three schools were using teachers outside their speciality