Tēnā koutou e te Whānau

Halswell School teachers will join around 50,000 colleagues nationwide in strike action tomorrow. The reason for this is not only to improve working conditions for teachers but also to address the historical disparity in funding between the primary and secondary school sectors to help provide the support our tamariki need.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge the disruption and expense the strike will cause for many of our families. We are very aware that this is not an ideal scenario; however, teachers and principals collectively felt that there was no other choice given the breakdown in negotiations between the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Education Institute (NZEI).

Many elements relate to why primary teachers and principals are striking tomorrow. Part of it concerns collective agreement negotiations regarding pay increases and working conditions, but in my opinion, the biggest call to action is around resourcing for primary schools to support student needs.

In 2019, the Tomorrow’s Schools Independent Task Force was commissioned to investigate the state of education in New Zealand. The Our Schooling Futures: Stronger Together Whiria Ngā Kura Tūātinitini report (attached) was published following months of consultation with stakeholders. The report had several key recommendations for improving education in our country. In particular, the report highlighted the disparity in resources between primary and secondary schools. This is illustrated below:

Essentially, the table illustrates that if we were a high school of a similar size, we would have at least eight extra full-time teachers, an extra fully released member of our Senior Management Team and access to at least two full-time guidance staff such as counsellors. There would be almost double the number of management salary units allocated to attract and retain teachers with leadership roles across the school, along with thirty-eight $1,000 salary allowances to recognise the mahi middle and senior leaders undertake in their respective roles.

Just imagine how better supported our teachers and children would be with this level of resourcing. 

The Ministry of Education has never adequately justified the reason for the disparity between sectors. I have worked in primary school education for thirty years and for the past fifteen years as a principal. The number of children with complex learning, social and behavioural needs has increased dramatically in this time. Most of these children receive little to no additional funding from the Ministry of Education. This has to change.

Addressing the gap between primary and secondary schools would provide the support and resourcing our children need to thrive. This is why I have chosen to strike tomorrow. Ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. The child is the heart of the matter.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Ngā mihi nui

Stuart Cameron

Principal