Ngahuia Rameka feels for kaiako, but says they need to think of working parents. Photo Sigrid Christiansen
A secondary school strike next week and additional planned year level strikes starting today, will impact many in the King Country.
One of those affected, and speaking from the perspective of disability whānau, is Ngahuia Rameka, a support worker at the Maniapoto Whānau Ora centre.
The youngest of her five children attended Piopio College, she said.
“His name is Bruce Burgess; he’s 11 and he’s a form one [year 7]. He also has autism and intellectual disabilities,” she told King Country News.
With herself and her husband working, one of Ngahuia’s older sons would have to take the day off his work in forestry, missing a day’s pay. That was the most hōhā thing about it, she said.
“[During a strike] I usually get one of my sons to stay home from work so they can look after their baby brother while I come to work, while everybody else goes to work. Of course, I pay him.”
She understands the problems teaching staff face in their work, and that they need to be heard by the Government.
“I do feel for the kaiako and what they’re all going through, that would be hard,” she said.
“[But] just, for myself anyway: they need to think about working parents.
“I know that I got … newsletters and emails saying they were going to have this teacher strike, but I can’t take a day off just for a teacher strike.
“If I have days off, it’s got to be for something important like appointments up at Waikato or things like that. Or if I’m sick and can’t come to work. That’s the only time I’ll get time off.
“It’s a bit too much. Because with all my other kids we didn’t go through as many teacher strikes as they’re having right now.
The strike also has an impact on Bruce’s behaviour and wellbeing.
“With my son, he loves routine. If any sort of routine is out of whack, he plays up. It affects his behaviour at home. He gets quite angry. It takes a while for us to calm him down. He is going through puberty at the same time, so we hear a few knocks and bangs in the house and things like that.”
Across New Zealand, Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) members recently voted to approve the strike action.
While a nationwide whole school strike is scheduled for May 11, PPTA members are also staging rolling strikes and will not be teaching different year levels of students on certain days – meaning students in those levels will be rostered home for the day. Today, year 11 students are rostered home.
The rolling strikes are causing some confusion for parents.
PPTA Te Wehengarua said the action included work that would otherwise be undertaken on or off the school site.
Te Kūiti High School principal Gareth Williams said he understood parents’ point of view.
He said the disruption caused by strikes would ideally lead to the community voicing their concerns to the Government: “which hopefully puts pressure on them to make change.”
“I get the reason behind it, but it’s never ideal,” he said.
“Particularly in a small rural community where you’re trying to build positive relationships within the community, and work for the community. It probably has a bigger impact here than it would do in a city.
“Te Kūiti is a small community for a start. Everybody knows each other; often with the demographic of people within our community that both parents might be working, or there’s childcare issues.”
Disruptions would impact on families’ routines, especially those with younger high school students.
Many local employers could not allow parents to take their children to work, for example the meatworks.
King Country News asked Gareth why teachers were striking at a time when children had already had their learning severely disrupted by Covid.
“Any disruption to schooling is not good. We’re working really hard around improving attendance post-Covid,” he said.
“But equally the issues within teaching are huge. And so, I’m 100% supportive of the teachers … you know teachings changed in the past 10 years in particular, and the demands on teachers are greater.
“My biggest issue as a principal is getting staff to work here. We find it very challenging, very difficult to get staff and retain staff.
“We do need to address those issues so that we can make the most of it for the students.”
“The strikes are beyond my control. In an ideal world, they wouldn’t be happening because they can impact on our community in a detrimental way, but equally we need redress around the issues that are impacting teachers in the schools.”
King Country News attempted to contact the PPTA office in Hamilton for comment, but our call was not returned.
Local PPTA staff representatives in the King Country were unable to comment yesterday.
