In Seymour’s letter, he mentioned four things mayors could do to help attendance in their communities.
This included engaging with the Government’s new daily school attendance dashboard, leading conversations with their community, amplifying the message that school helped young people achieve better outcomes, and letting Seymour know what was working in their communities and what was not in an effort to get students to school.
The letter has sparked criticism and confusion from many mayors across the country because of the Government’s directive to councils to stick to their core responsibilities.
Stoltz said she, too, was surprised by the letter.
“The Government sent a clear message to all mayors and councils last year to stick to their knitting and focus on the core basics like roads, rubbish and water.”
The Government had also indicated it would remove the “Four Well-beings” from the Local Government Act, Stoltz said.
“He [Seymour] often publicly criticises mayors and councils for taking part in activities that, according to him, are outside of ‘core functions’.
“But then he contacted each mayor individually to ask them to lead discussions in their regions about issues that the Government would clearly put in the community ‘Four Well-beings’ section and definitely not a council core function.”
Stoltz said mayors – especially in smaller towns or regions – were actively involved in most community activities, attending functions and community meetings that included school, cultural and recreational activities.
“We see it as part of our job and what our community expects of us.
“We go above and beyond what our official job descriptions are.
“I am often invited to schools and talk to leadership groups and classes about leadership and the importance of staying in school and upskilling yourself.”
When requested, she also hosted school groups at the council and talked about the importance of education in making positive contributions, she said.
“I would invite David Seymour to visit us in the regions and get a clear understanding of what mayors do on a day-to-day basis.”
Stoltz said she did check the Government data on school truancy rates and was proud of Gisborne, with attendance numbers around the mid-80% range ... “taking into account that Covid, as well as two cyclones and seven extreme weather events in 2023, affected attendance and also access to some rural schools”.
“There is always room for improvement, and I will be there cheering our students and teachers on.”
Seymour told Local Democracy Reporting it was great that mayors like Stoltz recognised the country was facing an attendance crisis and were addressing it.
“I hope that more mayors follow her lead.”
Seymour said his letter to mayors didn’t ask them to spend money, hire more bureaucrats or make more rules.
“All it asked was for community leaders to play a positive role, encouraging young people to get to school.
“Because ultimately it is an issue we’re all going to have to tackle together.”
