Taupō teachers’ classroom walkout

Taupō's teachers joined a hīkoi to protest classroom conditions during the strike last Thursday.

Taupō teachers held a one-day strike on Thursday, joining the 50,000 nationally protesting pay and conditions in New Zealand’s schools.

The New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI) union represents kindergarten and primary teachers and held the action along with the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA). The result was closures for Taupō's educational settings, from kindergarten to secondary schools.

Teachers were calling for more funding to increase wages and improve classroom staffing and support levels.

The protesters gathered at points along their hīkoi in Taupō to show their support for the teachers' strike.

The unions had previously rejected the Government’s collective agreement offer, saying they did not guarantee conditions that would retain existing teachers or attract new ones.

In a show of support for the strike, more than 100 people took part in an NZEI hīkoi/march along Lake Terrace on Thursday, finishing on the Tongariro Domain.

Teachers and supporters spoke to the crowd about why they joined the hīkoi, including Taupō Primary's deputy principal Sarah Slade (right, with megaphone) and Tauhara College's Skye Barbour (left, with megaphone).

At the end of the hīkoi, several teaching staff from Taupō spoke about why they were on strike.

Joceline Triscott, head teacher at Hinemoa Kindergarten, spoke about how the level of funding affected the most vulnerable students in Early Childhood Education settings.

“Our neurodiverse, our unique individuals need more than we can offer, because there’s one of us and often 27 to 30 other students in the classroom.”

“[The Government] needs to change the funding model for high-needs students in classrooms, and I know this is on most teachers’ minds.”

The NZEI hīkoi was followed by a similar PPTA action, where members marched from Kaimanawa Reserve to Tongariro North Domain.

There was also a PPTA rally in Tūrangi outside the library on Thursday morning.