Teachers strike: Bay of Plenty educators protest outside Education Minister Jan Tinetti’s office

Secondary and area school teachers across the Bay of Plenty have taken strike action for a second time this month, with an educator of more than 30 years saying now was the time to “stand up and fight” for the sector.

A dozen secondary school teachers gathered outside Minister of Education Jan Tinetti’s office in Greerton, Tauranga, on Wednesday morning holding flags and placards, calling for better pay and more resourcing.

Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) members voted on Friday for more industrial action, including a one-day national strike.

This comes as the Ministry of Education said it sought urgent facilitated bargaining through the Employment Relations Authority in the interest of concluding negotiations.

PPTA Western Bay of Plenty regional chairwoman Julie Secker told the Bay of Plenty Times the protest was more in the form of a withdrawal of labour, although teachers did not want to strike.

“[The teachers] know that there’s only one really good time to sort this out and that is now.”

Secker said the raft of industrial measures being taken sent a strong message that members were “resolute”.

However, she did not rule out further full-day strikes, saying they “really do have a strong impact”.

Bay of Plenty Regional PPTA chair Kim Wilson said there was to be no picketing in Rotorua and members were asked to instead “engage in some digital activism”.

Wilson said they considered picketing in and around the local MP and ministry offices but decided “more impact would be created with direct forms of communication to those with decision-making power and influence.”

Secondary Tauranga teacher Tania Rae, who was among those striking outside Tinetti’s office, said she was “disappointed” members were striking again after action earlier this month.

“I really thought the first strike showed them we are united as a group - but apparently not.”

Rae, who has been in the profession since 1989, wanted to see salary increases in line with inflation to help retain beginning teachers.

“We are bleeding teachers like a cut artery - the young ones aren’t staying more than five years. They are getting registered and taking off and getting jobs where they are paid properly.”

Rae said she cared “deeply” about public education and felt a need to “stand up and fight” for it.

“They [the Ministry] are devaluing our profession, overloading us with responsibility, creating resources, [expecting us] to lead the way and paying us nothing for it.”

Tauranga secondary teacher Cordula Taiwo alongside PPTA Western Bay of Plenty regional chairwoman Julie Secker. Photo / Emma Houpt

Secondary teacher Cordula Taiwo, who also took part in the Greerton strike, said she returned to New Zealand five years ago after working in private education overseas.

Taiwo said she moved back for the “community spirit” but took a significant pay cut.

“I thought ‘money doesn’t matter’ ... I am back and the cost of living is so high. Maybe money does matter more than I thought.”

She said young people were grappling with a range of issues and teachers sometimes had “no way of addressing them”.

“Our energy levels are failing - and if you see what first-year and part-time teachers have to go through just to make a living - you wonder why don’t they just quit?”

Other industrial action included PPTA members not attending work meetings outside school hours from April 24.

Members would also roster different year levels of students to be at home on various days over four weeks from May 1, and would hold rolling strikes from May 8.

They would continue to refuse to relieve classes for absent teachers or vacant positions during their scheduled planning and marking times.

Ministry of Education general manager employment relations Mark Williamson said facilitated bargaining had been sought “with urgency” in the interest of concluding negotiations and returning to uninterrupted learning.

Williamson said during last week’s mediation on the secondary teachers collective, the PPTA balloted its members for further industrial action.

“At that point, we were making good progress in a number of areas which would be part of a second offer, after the first offer was rejected in November 2022, but more work is required.”

Facilitated bargaining through the Employment Relations Authority was the “best approach” to progress to reach a settlement, he said.

He said the authority would advise the ministry when facilitated bargaining would take place.

“We believe disruption to our learners; their families and communities should be avoided if at all possible. We are committed to working through PPTA’s priorities with them.”

Tinetti was absent from Parliament on Wednesday afternoon after being injured on her way into the chamber by a media camera.

Tinetti told Radio New Zealand that morning good progress had been made in bargaining since the strike earlier this month, so it was disappointing to see teachers taking industrial action again so soon.

But she acknowledged teachers had been under a lot of pressure and said the ministry was “working really hard to see where we can ease that”.