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Source:
All text on this website is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
All images are all rights reserved, and you must request permission from the copyright owner to use this material.
Click here to view our privacy policy
Copyright © 2025 PPTA. All rights reserved.
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Research released today shows we need to keep improving our response in schools for students with mental health needs, Secondary Principals Council chair Kate Gainsford says.
The research by Deakin University looked at the heath and wellbeing of school leaders in Secondary and Area Schools in New Zealand.
The largest sources of stress identified were the sheer quantity of work and lack of time to focus on teaching and learning. The highest cause of student related stress for senior leaders was mental health issues of students, she said.
“What we are seeing is a huge volume of work combined with the increased complexity of needs of students and community and this is a challenge.”
School leaders experience very high demands at work and have particularly high need to work in situations with people in heightened emotional states, she said.
“While we have seen recent announcements about youth mental health initiatives, we still don’t know how they will link up with secondary and area schools to provide assistance to students.
“We need increased dedicated staffing in schools to improve our ability to respond to student and community needs. We have been able to cover some gaps with recent Covid`19 response funding but there needs to be ongoing dedicated staffing to make a difference for students.
“School leaders are highly committed to the work and motivated for schools to be equitable and responsive to student needs. The will is there, but the resourcing is not.
“An option that works for some students is alternative education, implementation of the recommendations of the 2019 review of alternative education would be a good start to making improvements to this system.”
Urgent provision of professional development funded by government for school leadership and teachers in trauma informed practice is needed to support schools working with students and staff who have been traumatised by the pandemic, Gainsford said.
“Additional external supports should be provided to ensure that school leaders are not isolated in their work and have the appropriate professional support to manage the demands of their roles.”
ENDS
For further comment please call Secondary Principal Council chair Kate Gainsford 021 970 810
Last modified on Wednesday, 17 May 2023 09:11
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“We encourage our students to strive for what they want every day, so do the same for yourself,” this is Waimate teacher Emma Porter’s advice to her fellow establishing teachers after being elected to represent the Aoraki region on PPTA Te Wehengarua’s executive.
The PPTA Te Wehengarua Network of Establishing Teachers (NET) supports members in their first 10 years of teaching. Emma was representing her region as a NET observer at an executive meeting when she decided to run for a position on it herself.
“I was fortunate enough to be selected by my region to go along to an executive meeting as an observer. I really enjoyed the meeting and felt like I learned a lot from it. However I also had a thought while I was in there, that everyone in the room were experienced teachers, and that there was no one there on a similar professional journey to me,” she said.
“When we have a large number of NETs leaving within their first five years, I believe it is important to have representatives of all levels of experience, to ensure all voices and issues are heard. When the chance came up to run for executive, I had a chat with a few people and made the decision to go for it!”
Emma has been teaching for five years. Born and bred in Whangarei, she now lives in Oamaru and teaches Year 7 homeroom and NCEA history at Waimate High School. She is the year 7 and 8 Curriculum Leader, the school’s social media person and a Within School Teacher for their Kāhui Ako.
Emma attended her first Mahi Tika professional development programme for PPTA Te Wehengarua members in her second year of teaching. “Field officer Jo Martin opened me up to the wonderful world of PPTA. From there I became branch chair at Waimate High School. After attending a few regional meetings, I was nominated to be our regional NETs representative. I was lucky enough to go to annual conference that year, and that really inspired me to get more involved with PPTA,” she said.
The process of running for executive was “a wee bit nerve-wracking” but overall, quite straightforward, Emma said. “Our previous executive member was a fantastic representative for Aoraki and really inspired me to run for executive. I got in contact with him, and it was great to have someone like him to run against, who also supported me in doing so. After sending in the form and having the election, it was just a bit of an anxious wait.”
It was an amazing feeling when PPTA Te Wehengarua general secretary Michael Stevenson called to tell her the results, she said. “It felt great to have the support of so many Aoraki members and it got me fired up for the position.”
It’s taken a bit to get her head around how executive works, with all the different papers and committees, but Emma has found her fellow executive members extremely helpful and supportive. “I almost had that feeling beginning teachers get when they start – very excited to get stuck right into things, but also the feeling of ‘oh my gosh, where do I start?’ I had a few comments from people saying how great it was to have a NET on executive, which was awesome to hear.”
“I have always said that any PPTA event/meeting/group is the best PLD a teacher can have. Not only does being on executive open you up to perspectives/issues that you haven’t come across yourself, but it also helps you grow professional relationships. I have had some really great conversations with people and already feel like I’m part of the executive family.”
Emma recommends running for elected positions to her fellow NETs. “I feel as NETs we can often doubt ourselves or think that we aren’t the most experienced person for the job. I definitely felt like that to start with, but if you are wanting to go further within the union, even your career, you’ve really got to believe in yourself and go for what you want. And hey, if you miss out, you can always go for it again next year!”
Her advice for those thinking about running for executive is to go for it. “Have a conversation with someone who is on executive about how it all works and why you want to run and work out if it is something you really want to do, because it is a commitment.”
Her final word to her fellow NETs is to make sure they make themselves known to their regional NETs representatives. “They are there to represent you, voice feedback and concerns that NETs may be having to their regions, and they may even have a NETs event up their sleeve that you might like to go along to.”
Last modified on Wednesday, 17 May 2023 09:11
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A PPTA member taskforce has been working since the start of 2020 to make sure the workload provisions in our collective agreements are clear, modern and legal.
This important work has been carried out by principals, senior leaders, timetablers, branch chairs, middle leaders and classroom teachers and a final report, which has been unanimously endorsed, presented to PPTA executive.
Executive has approved all the report’s recommendations for further discussion with members.
“The report has provided executive with a strong, well-reasoned framework for discussing improvements to the collective provisions, with PPTA members, the Ministry of Education and any other relevant groups,” president Jack Boyle said.
The group was able to meet face-to-face once before the Covid-19 lockdown and then twice by Zoom. Further discussion was conducted by email.
The taskforce drew on:
The group identified a set of principles to guide changes to the agreements. Some existing provisions need to be clarified, some new provisions are necessary to modify the agreement, and some areas require new clauses to ensure the STCA is compliant with current legislation.
An important finding of the taskforce was that in most instances the provisions themselves are clear and workable, but under-resourced by government. One example of this was that the progressively inadequate curriculum staffing for larger schools and junior high schools puts unequal pressure on those schools in administering the average class size provisions.
A major component of the taskforce’s report is advice on how we can introduce an hours of work provision (required by the Employment Relations Act but currently not part of the agreements) which is flexible enough to accommodate differences between schools and strong enough to provide wellbeing and workload protections for teachers at all levels of the school.
The next step is to familiarise members with the content and recommendations of the report, including discussions at next year’s Issues and Organising conference and with regional groupings of members. Resources have been developed to facilitate branch discussions on the possible changes, which branches have been asked to hold this term or in term 1 next year. There will also be discussions with groups of members who might be affected by specific recommendations (for example possible workload protections for e-teachers). We are also seeking to open general discussion with the Ministry of Education about the findings of the taskforce.
Any potential changes would be subject to membership approval in the PPTA’s normal claims development process in 2021-22 and to negotiation and membership ratification in 2022.
A copy of the report can be found at on the members only side of our website.
Workload Provisions Review Taskforce Report
Last modified on Wednesday, 17 May 2023 09:11
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Attributable to Detective Sergeant Joe Sailsbury:
Two youths have been arrested in relation to a liquor store robbery in Levin today.
At 11:30am Police received reports of an aggravated robbery at a liquor store on Mako Mako Road.
Two youths had entered the store with a weapon and stole alcohol before fleeing the area in a stolen vehicle.
A quick response by Police led to officers recovering the stolen vehicle, and around 90 minutes later two youths were arrested.
Both will appear in Levin Youth Court on charges of aggravated robbery and unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle.
Police would like to thank members of the community who contacted Police with information that lead to the arrests.
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Issued by the Police Media Team.
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An earlier media release regarding two firearms-related incidents in Gisborne overnight stated that two people were injured as a result of shots fired at a house on Taruheru Crescent.
This was incorrect – the two people injured were in the vehicle in Valley Road that was also shot at.
We apologise for the error.
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Issued by Police Media Centre.
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To be attributed to Inspector Danny Kirk, Tairāwhiti Area Commander:
Tairāwhiti Police have arrested and charged four people following two firearms-related incidents overnight.
At around 11.45pm yesterday, Police were called to Taruheru Crescent in Mangapapa, following a report of several shots being fired towards a house from a car.
The occupants of the same car then fired one or two shots at an occupied vehicle in Valley Road, Mangapapa.
Police located the car in Lytton Road and signalled the driver to stop, however he failed to do so.
Police pursued the car through the Elgin area, before stopping it near the intersection of Awapuni Road and Lytton Road.
The four occupants of the car – males aged 15, 16, 28 and 36 – have been charged with discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Further charges are likely as our investigation into these incidents continue.
Police have also seized a firearm and other items which the car’s occupants threw from the car as they were being pursued by Police.
My message to all involved in this kind of offending is that this has to stop. Two people were injured as a result of the shots fired at the occupied vehicle in Valley Road – one seriously – and we could very easily have been dealing with one or more fatalities.
I want to acknowledge my frontline officers, who made a conscious decision to put themselves in harm’s way to apprehend those involved in this senseless violence. And I also want to acknowledge our investigators who work tirelessly to ensure that Police can put these people before the Court and hold them accountable for their actions.
The four males arrested will be appearing in Gisborne District Court tomorrow.
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Issued by Police Media Centre.
Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets
Every parent wants to see their child thrive at school — to feel confident, supported, and capable. Today, the Government is taking a major step toward making that aspiration a reality with the launch of a new Parent Portal: an online resource designed to enable families to play their part in their child’s learning.
“This is about giving parents clarity, confidence, and practical tools to support their child’s learning journey,” says Erica Stanford.
Launching today, the Parent Portal will provide a clear, easy-to-understand year by year guide to what children will be learning in English and maths under New Zealand’s refreshed, knowledge-rich curriculum.
“This is about making the curriculum accessible to parents and caregivers, so they can be strong partners in their children’s education,” says Minister Stanford. “Until now, parents haven’t always had consistent access to this information – this new tool will change that.
The Parent Portal will include:
• A parent-friendly breakdown of what children will learn in English and maths at each year level with other learning areas added as the curriculum refresh rolls out,• Activities and resources to support learning at home that are aligned to the curriculum,• Information and videos about what to expect when their child starts school, including the Phonics Checks at 20 and 40 weeks,• Guidance on supporting structured literacy approaches, including access to decodable books and the sequence of sounds that are taught so parents can help with reading at home,• Practical tips for parent-teacher interviews so parents can feel confident asking questions about their child’s progress,• Online tools to practice maths will be added in the near future.
“This is the first time parents will have access to such a comprehensive and practical resource,” says Minister Stanford. “It’s not just about information — it’s about helping your child succeed. Whether a child needs support to catch up or is ready to be extended, parents will now have the tools to help.”
More resources will be added to the platform over time, building a rich library of information and resources to help raise achievement and close the equity gap.
“Parents are a crucial part of their child’s education journey. Available on any device, the portal is about restoring their place at the heart of learning and giving them the confidence to make a real difference.”
The Parent Portal is part of the Government’s broader commitment to raising educational achievement and ensuring every child reaches their full potential.
Notes for editor:
‘Parent Portal’ can be accessed here: https://www.education.govt.nz/your-childs-learning
Resources and supports for Te Marautanga o Aotearoa can be found here:
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa year-by-year learning guide – Ministry of Education
Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has congratulated Anthony Albanese on winning the Australian Federal Election, and Lawrence Wong on winning the Singaporean election.
“I have been in touch with both Mr Albanese and Mr Wong to offer my congratulations on retaining office,” Mr Luxon says.
“When we spoke, Mr Albanese and I affirmed our strong working relationship. New Zealand has no better friend and no greater ally than Australia. Working together is even more important now as we both face the most challenging global environment in decades. We are stronger on the world stage together.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Mr Albanese on a range of issues including our shared security, partnering in the Pacific, and making the trans-Tasman business environment ever more seamless.”
Mr Luxon has also congratulated Lawrence Wong on his recent election victory in Singapore.
“Singapore is a key partner for New Zealand in Southeast Asia, and I am eager to continue to strengthen our bilateral relations and collaborate on regional and global challenges.
“Both Australia and Singapore are indispensable partners for New Zealand. I am committed to enhancing our cooperation with both countries as we navigate the complexities of the current global landscape.”