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Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand) is in the enviable position of having a new progressive Labour-led government, which means we have had a lot of positive changes in education in a short space of time. Our experience in some ways parallels the hopes Alberta teachers had three years ago when the NDP formed the government. As I consider our partnership with the Alberta Teachers’ Association and schools in your province, I offer the following as a reflection of what our new government has done to effect positive change, but just as importantly, what our teachers and their organization are collectively doing to continually hold the government to account to create a great school for all New Zealand students.
Achieved with the help of our highly motivated members, many of the wins for our union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, started under the previous National government, which was hell-bent on privatizing education and running a neoliberal agenda. I am pleased to say that we (in collaboration with our colleagues at the PPTA—the secondary school teacher union—principals groups and other allies), were able to get a lot of traction in the past two years.
Under National, we stopped the introduction of bulk funding of schools and centres (including teacher salaries), thanks to an unprecedented turnout of NZEI and PPTA members at joint meetings around the country. We made our voices heard and the government backed down.
Throughout the nine years of the previous government, our members stood strong in their opposition to the introduction of charter schools and national standards, a narrow, test-driven regime that limited the curriculum and stifled teaching and learning.
Among the very first acts of the new government late last year were the ditching of charter schools and national standards. It was a cause of great celebration in the sector. Schools are now free to focus on the broad curriculum, and any of the 10 existing charter schools that wish to continue operating will need to meet the requirements to be absorbed into the state system.
The government is now looking to develop a 30-year plan for education—a cross-party initiative free of the political interference that inevitably goes with the three-yearly cycle of elections. Summits will soon be held to get input from everyone who has an interest in quality public education.
We will be heavily involved in this work and want to keep the child at the centre. Not only is this important for any changes to education, but this also resonates with our communities, parents and other allies.
We are also working hard on two campaigns, one of which is Kua tae te wā — It’s Time.
It’s timely and important. There is a crisis in education in our country. Schools and early childhood centres are scrambling for qualified teachers. Teacher trainee establishments report a 40 per cent drop in people applying to be teachers over the past six years, and many teachers cannot afford to live in some of our more expensive cities. Teachers and principals are burning out, stressed and dealing with increasing numbers of children with additional learning and behavioural needs.
They need a pay jolt to keep them in teaching, but they also need more time to teach and lead, and more resources for children with additional learning and behavioural needs. The campaign is addressing all these issues.
The solution needs to be sustainable not only to keep teachers in our schools but for children to have the education they deserve.
The government has acknowledged the issues the schooling sector faces and the urgent need to take bold steps to turn the situation around. However, solutions will not be cheap and other public services have also been desperately underfunded over the past 10 years. We will be closely watching the government’s budget announcement in May, and while we hope for progress, it will take some years to address the myriad problems we face.
At the same time we have a three-pronged pay equity campaign underway for some of our lowest paid workers in education.
We are in various stages of claim development and mediation for members working in three areas: support staff (teacher aides and administrators), early childhood staff and Ministry of Education itinerant staff such as education support workers. In all these areas, the workforce is largely women, and they have suffered pay injustices for too long.
We have been negotiating with the ministry for a year to get a pay equity settlement for approximately 400 support workers employed directly by the ministry. Frustration is growing at how the ministry is dragging its heels, in sharp contrast to the positive noises being made about pay equity by government ministers.
A return to court is likely, which would not be a good look for the government because the pay equity campaign is popular with the public. It has a large groundswell of support from the community, especially parents, who talk about the value of these people who are teaching and supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
Pay equity issues are prominent at the moment, with various sectors involved in claims for their female-dominated workforces. Last year, 55,000 aged-care workers won a $2 billion government-funded pay equity settlement. The breakthrough has given hope to thousands of workers, and rest home carer Kristine Bartlett was recently named Kiwibank 2018 New Zealander of the Year for her work in leading the campaign.
So we are carving out some deep tracks, and it definitely feels that we are on a roll. Our members are behind us, our allies are on board, we have a sympathetic government and the collective agreements are up for negotiation soon. We are confident we will make more progress this year. We share with our Alberta colleagues and their association a commitment to ensure the future is not something that will just happen. Keeping our two progressive governments on track is the work ahead for both New Zealand and Alberta teachers and the strategic promise of the present moment.
Paul Goulter is national secretary of NZEI Te Riu Roa in New Zealand.
