News/Media
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Documents
Media releases 2026
Secondary teachers vote to refuse appointment to Teaching Council
Members of PPTA Te Wehengarua, the secondary teachers’ union, have voted overwhelmingly in favour of boycotting appointment to the Teaching Council Governing Board.
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Media releases 2026
Teacher shortage easing but how it's easing is concerning
More teachers are applying for secondary school vacancies this year compared with the previous three years, but the number of suitable applicants has barely increased, a staffing survey carried out by PPTA Te Wehengarua shows.
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Unmet Needs
Reflections from the Unmet Needs Summit
Despite the best intentions of Tāwhirimātea, PPTA Te Wehengarua held an Unmet Needs summit in Te Whanganui-a-tara over the last weekend of June. With just under half of the attendees able to make it to the capital, we nonetheless had two days of thoughtful discussion and problem surfacing.
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Media releases 2026
Secondary principals urge Education Minister to reflect on report findings
The results of the latest National Survey of Secondary Schools provide important evidence that should prompt careful reflection by the Minister of Education, particularly around the pace of educational change, the growing complexity of student need, and the future of secondary qualifications, says Secondary Principals' Council (SPC) Chair Steve McCracken.
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Media releases 2026
Secondary teachers balloted on Teaching Council boycott
Members of PPTA Te Wehengarua, the secondary teachers’ union, will take part in a ballot later this week to decide if they will refuse to accept appointment to the Teaching Council.
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Media releases 2026
Control of Teaching Council one more step in highly disturbing trend
The passing of law tonight that bans all elected representatives from the Teaching Council – and gives the Minister of Education total control over appointments – is another step in a highly disturbing and unprecedented level of political interference in the public sector in Aotearoa New Zealand, say leaders of key state sector unions.
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Media releases 2026
Education budget leaves schools falling further behind
The Government’s Budget announced today means further cuts to schools’ day to day funding which will in turn put local communities under more financial pressure, says Chris Abercrombie, PPTA Te Wehengarua president.
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NCEA changes
Secondary school qualification details announced – will the kids be alright?
The Minister of Education, Erica Stanford, has announced more details about the new qualification to replace NCEA. Will it actually help students to get where they want to go in life, asks Chris Abercrombie.
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Media releases 2026
SMART tool not ready, creates more concerns than solutions – Deputy Principals’ feedback
The initial response from secondary teachers to the new Student, Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting Tool (SMART) indicates there are a range of issues that need to be resolved.
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