“It simply isn’t about the money.”
That’s the view of teachers striking in Tauranga today with tens of thousands of educators walking off the job nationwide calling for better pay, higher staffing numbers and more school funding.
Some of the 1900 Western Bay PPTA and NZEI members, and their supporters, gathered at the Tauranga Racecourse this morning and have now headed to various picket sites around the city including outside Education Minister Jan Tinetti’s Tauranga office on Cameron Rd.
Other locations include Fraser St, the Bethlehem shops between roundabouts on the Countdown side, Chapel St across from the entry to Bay Central Shopping Centre, and Domain Rd in Pāpāmoa.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Jan Tinetti has just addressed a gathering at Parliament to a mixed reaction, saying the Government is “committed to getting this sorted”.
Ōtūmoetai College teacher Roy Ballantyne, who has been in the profession more than 40 years, said his whole career had been an “ongoing battle to get proper conditions and proper pay”.
“I have really enjoyed my career but it’s time to step up and do something to help the teaching force to meet demands of being a really good teacher.”
He said teachers were putting in “a lot of hard work” to not only deliver the curriculum but also meet students’ social and emotional needs.
Earlier, hundreds of teachers dressed in green were at the racecourse with strikers sharing why they were taking part.
People could be seen holding signs saying “fair pay, not achieved” and “fair pay, relievers stay”.
Hundreds joined in singing a version of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ calling for better working conditions and pay.
One teacher, who had lived in New Zealand for one year, said she had never had to take so much sick leave and met with a counsellor frequently.
”If I’m not mentally stable to do my job what are we doing New Zealand?”
The crowd erupted in applause after a young girl added “teachers are worth it”.
Another child said: “I want to go back to school, I want teachers to be happy”.
Image 1 of 19: Alex Strahan, 8, picketing outside Fraser Cove during the teachers' strike in Tauranga. Photo / Andrew Warner
Tauranga primary school teacher Marie, who did not want her surname published for privacy reasons, said she was striking “for the children”.
”We’re just not getting the support we need for the variety and range of children that we’ve got in our schools,” the teacher of more than 40 years said.
”We’re getting more and more children with diverse needs in our classrooms and it’s so so difficult.”
This included neurodiverse children and those with emotional, social or physical needs, she said.
”It simply isn’t about the money,” she said.
Greerton Village Kindergarten teacher Cherry Wallace said early childhood workers needed pay increases to match the rising cost of living.
”I’m supporting a family of five with a mortgage to pay. It’s getting tighter and tighter.”
She also said they needed more than nine days sick leave because it “disappeared” after getting Covid.
Mount Maunganui College social science teachers Tricia Lawrence and Fran Collett both said they were striking because class numbers were too high and they were spread thin trying to cater to different learning needs.
”We are sitting in classes with 41 kids. Needs are so diverse now and increasing every single year,” Collett said.
Lawrence said trying to spread yourself out among all the different needs was really hard.
”You leave feeling like you haven’t been able to do your job properly.”
She said it was “empowering” teachers from secondary, primary and early childhood had come together today.
”Everybody is feeling this and New Zealand needs to understand this. Teachers don’t do this for themselves - it’s about our kids.”
The 50,000 members of the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) and the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI) are today striking after rejecting the Government’s collective agreement offers.
Secondary school teachers last month agreed to strike after negotiations failed to progress, and last week primary, kindergarten and area school teachers, along with primary and area school principals, voted to join them.
Many schools in the Bay of Plenty are closed for the day with some offering supervision for children.
Education Minister Jan Tinetti said this morning she was “disappointed” by the breakdown in negotiations that led to today’s strike but was also optimistic a solution could be found quickly.
She said negotiations would continue at a meeting between the New Zealand Post-Primary Teachers’ Association and the Ministry of Education tomorrow.
Tinetti said her optimism came from her meetings with the association this week and the New Zealand Educational Institute last week.
“I know that we’re not that far apart, I can’t talk about it any further than that because of good faith bargaining but I’m really optimistic.”
Tinetti confirmed she would be meeting striking teachers outside Parliament today, where she would endorse their efforts in trying years.
“I have been on the other side out there, strangely enough, so I know exactly where they’re coming from as well and it’s really important that I front up.
“I will reiterate that they are amazing at what they do and that really the whole country needs to value them for the work they do and that’s why I’m really looking forward that together, we can do this.”
NZCTU Vice President Rachel Mackintosh said teachers must be recognised for the essential role they play in New Zealand.
“We must continue to back the teachers, and the work they do for our tamariki. We know that greater support is required for people wishing to remain in the industry – to ensure they can continue putting food on the table, and giving the students the care they need.”
Mackintosh said the well-being of both students and teachers was at the heart of the strike.
“Everyone benefits when we take care of teachers. And that’s why union members across the country will be standing with them today.”
Yesterday Tauranga parents also spoke out in support of “hardworking” school staff despite the disruption.
What the PPTA wants:
Secondary teachers are seeking a new collective agreement that includes:
What NZEI wants:
What the Government has offered:
For NZEI teachers:
For PPTA teachers: