Tauranga teacher strikes for her son

Tauranga special needs teacher Sophie Stevenson marched in honour of her son Arnold Fry. Photo/Zoe Hunter

Sophie Stevenson marched down Mount Maunganui's main street alongside fellow teachers with a photograph of her autistic son hugged close to her chest.

The teacher at Tauranga Special School marched in honour of her 15-year-old son who was diagnosed with autism at age 2 and now attends Papamoa College.

"I am advocating for our children with special needs and all the children that don't have a voice."

Stevenson said she started training as a teacher for children living with special needs after experiencing the challenges first-hand as her son's support person.

"He is my why," she said. "I have seen a decade in my role as a parent in the system of what support is needed."

Stevenson felt responsible for making change and was grateful to Tauranga Special School for supporting her through her provisional training as a beginning teacher.

"My mantra is: if it is meant to be it is up to me," she said.

It was an emotional day for the mother who walked alongside hundreds of other Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty teachers from Coronation Park to Mount Drury as part of the nationwide strike.

Tauranga special needs teacher Sophie Stevenson marched in honour of her son Arnold Fry. Photo/Zoe Hunter

In Mount Maunganui, strong and bitterly cold winds failed to dampen spirits during the march and motorists showed their support by honking their horns and waving out.

Teachers and principals voted for a full-day strike to raise key messages including a need for more time to teach, a pay increase and more funding for children in learning support.

Yesterday's action was the first strike by primary school educators in 24 years.

New Zealand Education Institute president Lynda Stuart said a second strike would happen over two days if the next round of talks with the Ministry of Education failed to make progress on August 24. However, no dates had been set.

Tauranga Special School assistant principal Andrea Andresen, an NZ Educational Institute Tauranga lobbyist, said teachers were feeling energised about taking action.

"If we don't get that improvement now, the damage to New Zealand education is going to be huge."

She said student teachers had also come out to support their colleagues.

"It's not just us at the coalface of teaching," Andresen said.

Te Akau Ki Papamoa School principal Bruce Jepsen joined the march. Photo/Zoe Hunter

Te Akau Ki Papamoa School principal Bruce Jepsen said teachers were underpaid for the "most important job in the world".

"There is a huge amount of unpaid sacrifice," he said. "In society, we say we value the role so much but in remuneration we contradict it."

Jepsen said it had become much more difficult to find relievers for full-time staff and assistant principals and deputy principals had to fill the void.

"It doesn't relieve any of that pressure because they still have to catch up on their own job. That creates the level of stress."

Tauranga MP Jan Tinetti joined Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins in watching the strike as educators protested outside Parliament in Wellington.

"I think there is no question I understand their frustrations. They are the same frustrations that put me into Parliament," the former Merivale School principal said. "We want to work with them and create a better deal for them."

Leader of the Opposition and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges said he recognised the hard work teachers do.

"My mum was a teacher and I have seen the hours, the effort and the care that she put in," he said.

Bridges said National increased teachers' wages 17 per cent during its time in Government and understood and recognised teachers' right to strike.

"We are very concerned about a second strike over two days and the impact that may have on children, their learning and their families," he said.

The impact of the strikes will become clearer over the coming weeks depending on how the Government responds, Bridges said.

Ministry of Education deputy secretary of early learning and support Ellen MacGregor-Reid said reaching an agreement remained a priority.

"We are still in the negotiating process and are listening to the concerns of primary principals and teachers," she said.

Negotiations will resume next week.

Cath Harnor and son Eli, 11, who had the day off school. Photo/John Borren

WALKING OFF THE JOB:
Cath Harnor's 11-year-old son Eli Harnor had to stay home from school today while his teachers were on strike.

The 36-year-old mother said she did not have to find a babysitter for her son because she was lucky enough to work from home.

Instead, the pair got to spend the day together on a school day, which was a rarity.

The mother and son chose to spend the morning supporting the teachers' strike at Mount Drury where they had set up picnic blankets.

"We will probably have some lunch and go home," she said.

Cath said she supported the strike wholeheartedly as her husband was a teacher.

"We have had a wonderful experience with the teachers I have had for my children. It is nice to know they are cared for and nurtured," she said.

"They should be paid better and have more time to teach."

Craigs Investment Partner's Mark Lister said he could have found care for his daughter but had chosen to take the day off to look after her himself.

"I am off work not because I needed to be but because I thought I would spend the day with family," he said.

WHY DID YOU STRIKE?

Wendy Palmer, reliever at Tauranga Special School and Gate Pa School. Photo/John Borren

Wendy Palmer, reliever at Tauranga Special School and Gate Pa School

"We are here to prove our points that the conditions and the pay needs reassessment after so long. We are here for the kids. I get to see so many more kids than most teachers and it just suited my lifestyle being a reliever."

Kerie Richardson, special needs teacher at Tauranga Intermediate. Photo/John Borren

Kerie Richardson, special needs teacher at Tauranga Intermediate

"We do it because we have passion. I haven't had a day off in months. But every time you go and see those kids reaching their full potential it makes it all worth it."

James Kerr, Te Ranga School in Te Puke. Photo/John Borren

James Kerr, Te Ranga School in Te Puke

"I am here for better pay for your hours. I am here for my kids. My kids go to school next year. I want better resources for teachers and for teachers to be equipped to be able to teach properly. We are a small school but we are growing. Six years ago we had 85 kids and now we have 150. We don't have the space, we don't have enough teachers."

Melissa McLaughlin, Papamoa Primary School teacher. Photo/Zoe Hunter

Melissa McLaughlin, Papamoa Primary School teacher

"I am a teacher because I have a passion for kids and advocating to help them fulfil their passion. We need a better deal for our kids. It is not good enough ... we need more teachers."

Damien Harris, Mount Maunganui Primary principal. Photo/Zoe Hunter

Damien Harris, Mount Maunganui Primary School principal
"I am here trying to get a better deal for our kids. Our message is if we don't fund education appropriately our kids are not going to get the best possible education. I love having a positive impact on the future of our country for our kids."
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
• In June, NZEI rejected the ministry's offer to increase pay, in the majority of cases, by between 2.2 and 2.6 per cent for three years.
• Teachers and principals want a 16 per cent pay rise over two years.
• Members also want to fix the teacher-shortage crisis, more time to teach and lead and to fix issues related to career development.
• It is the first primary school teachers' strike since 1994.
• The Secretary of Education decides on any pay deductions.
• Budget 2018 provided additional funding including $272 million for learning support, $59m for teacher aides, and $394m for new schools and classrooms.
• As at August 1, the Government has funded more than 980 teacher education refresher places to remove cost barriers so that teachers can return to teaching faster.
• 139 teachers coming to New Zealand have received the Overseas Relocation Grant to help with their costs as at July 20, and 41 schools have received a finder's fee to help with the costs of recruiting these teachers.
• $370m was also set aside in the Budget for 1500 new teaching places by 2021 to meet population growth.
• The number of primary school teachers remaining in the job has increased from 91.8 per cent in 2014 to 93.8 per cent in 2017.