All staff members who are NZEI members will be attending a Paid Union Meeting next week.

• Tuesday 19th or Thursday 21st of March 2-3pm.

• School WILL NOT close for these afternoons however we will be running a modified programme due to half our staff being off site at these meetings.

Importance of these meetings:

• These meetings will provide NZEI members with an update on how the Kua Tae te Wa campaign is progressing, and the chance to vote on whether to accept or reject the latest offers from the Ministry. We will also be voting on whether to take strike action should the offers be rejected.

• These meetings are being held to discuss any new offers from the Ministry or Government, and for teachers to consider the next steps in the Kua Tae te Wa campaign.

• These Paid Union meetings are not strike action and the law allows for two Paid Union Meetings every year.

You may remember that teachers and principals took strike action twice last year to send a message to the Government that more needed to be done to fix the teacher shortage and make teaching a more sustainable and attractive profession.

After conversations with government in January, our union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, has agreed to return to formal negotiations with the Ministry. The Government has continued to state that there is no more money to settle the agreements but we are continuing to campaign for a quality public education for every child. We believe that winning more time to teach, a significant pay jolt to attract and keep people in teaching, and better resourcing for children with additional learning needs is as important as ever.

Public polling has showed continued strong support for what we are trying to achieve for our students and the future of the teaching profession. Parents in particular see the struggles we already face in hiring teachers and finding relievers when teachers are sick.

We greatly appreciate your continued support as we continue our campaign to ensure every child gets the best possible teaching and learning.