North Canterbury teachers call for better pay and resourcing

Teachers flowed into Victoria Park in Rangiora, and later marched down its main thoroughfare on Thursday (March 16) in support of the nationwide teachers’ strike.
About a 1000 turned out, including principals, students and the community calling for better pay and resourcing.

The strike action was taken by the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA), and the New Zealand Educational Institute, which represented primary, area school and kindergarten teachers.

Rangiora New Life School principal Stephen Walters said negotiations between the two teachers’ unions and the area and primary school principals’ union, with the Ministry of Education had dragged on for nine months, since the previous collective agreement ran out.

Secondary school principals had already settled with the Ministry.

‘‘I think it would have been nice to settle with the teachers first before the principals,’’ Mr Walters said.

‘‘I am happy to be here and happy to be supporting my staff because I know how hard they work.’’

Mr Walters and Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said schools had supported communities through the last three years of Covid-19 disruptions.

‘‘I am sad it has got to this situation,’’ Mr Kearney said.

‘‘We are coming out of three years of Covid, where teachers have supported communities and schools have supported communities by staying open to support young people’s education, but teachers are not getting the support.

‘‘I just hope the government and unions can sort it out fairly quickly.’’

While the strike was not solely about money, Mr Kearney said his personal view was high inflation was taking a toll on teachers, especially in Auckland.

‘‘Sitting here in the beautiful town of Rangiora it is not too bad, but I can’t imagine being in a high school in Auckland where the cost of living is three times what it is here.’’

Mr Kearney said class sizes, the wellbeing of teachers and support for new teachers were also concerns.

He said the number of young people coming through teacher training was the lowest it had been in his time in education and something needed to be done.

Amberley School teacher Mike Clemens addressed the crowd, saying he was there to speak up for his students and the need for proper funding for special needs children.

Leithfield School teachers said they were striking for better funding for special needs children, ‘‘support for tamariki’’ and ‘‘enhancing the mana of our profession’’.

They said beginning teachers needed to be better supported and better paid.

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.