Green MP Teanau Tuiono: Some teachers are having to work two or more jobs to make ends meet

Teanau Tuiono talks with striking teachers outside Parliament. With him are fellow Green MPs Chlöe Swarbrick and Ricardo Menéndez March.

Opinion

Last week, I was out on the Parliament forecourt with teachers frustrated with the current pay offer. It falls short of lifting pay in line with the rising cost of putting food on the table, paying the rent and keeping the house warm.

Not to mention the impact that has on teacher retention and recruitment. Getting this right is crucial, because the working conditions of our teachers are the learning conditions of our tamariki.

One of the teachers who spoke outside Parliament last week mentioned the recent report from Inland Revenue that showed 311 of the wealthiest people in New Zealand own more wealth than 2.5 million of us. I think that teacher was on to something.

If we taxed the wealth of the mega-rich, we could use the money to address so much inadequate funding across the public service, from education to health.

Ask any teacher about the issues they’re struggling with in schools and you will hear what I have - class sizes are too big, there isn’t enough support for students with diverse needs and teacher pay has failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

Some teachers are having to work two or more jobs just to make ends meet. Principals across the education sector are speaking out about recruitment issues and the struggle to keep schools fully staffed.

You speak to any teacher out there striking, and they’ll tell you they don’t want to be on strike.

They just want to get on with their job, the most important mahi of all, nurturing the next generation to meet their full potential - that’s why they’re teachers in the first place.

It’s because of their passion for the education of our tamariki that they’re on strike. They have said time and time again their priority is what’s best for our children and our schools, and that the latest offers from the Government just don’t go far enough to fully address the serious issues facing our education system.

That’s why I think it’s important for us to stand with our teachers and principals.

The Government needs to make an offer that will raise teacher pay to reflect the cost of living and actually address underfunding, class size and teacher ratios, support for students with diverse needs and fair recognition of equal contribution.

Teachers are far too important to keep ignoring.

Teanau Tuiono is a Green list MP based in Palmerston North. Education is one of his portfolios.