About PPTA

More than 25,000 PPTA Te Wehengarua members are working in schools and nationally to ensure all young people in New Zealand have equitable access to a high quality public education.

Teachers employed in state and integrated secondary schools, area schools, technology centres and community education centres are eligible to join.

Professional networks

PPTA Te Wehengarua provides professional networks where teachers can influence the debate on crucial education issues.

Collective employment agreements

PPTA Te Wehengarua negotiates collective employment agreements and provides advice, guidance and advocacy for members about their conditions of employment.

Constitution and objectives

PPTA Te Wehengarua activity is guided by a constitution with the following objectives:

1. To advance the cause of education generally and of all phases of secondary and technical education in particular.
2. To uphold and maintain the just claims of its members individually and collectively.
3. To affirm and advance Te Tiriti O Waitangi.

PPTA Te Wehengarua is registered under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 and the Employment Relations Act 2000.

Partnership Commitment

PPTA Te Wehengarua is committed to a partnership between tauiwi and tangata whenua, which affirms Te Tiriti o Waitangi. To further this partnership, PPTA Te Wehengarua:

• Has Māori structures (Te Huarahi) within the union.
• Holds an annual conference for Māori secondary teachers.
• Is a major supporter (since 1965) of the annual national Māori speech competition Ngā Manu Kōrero.

PPTA Te Wehengarua is affiliated to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and Education International. The Association works closely with other education sector unions and through its membership of the Council of Pacific Educators enjoys close relationships with its South Pacific and Australian counterparts.

PPTA Te Wehengarua history e-book

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know – and more - about PPTA Te Wehengarua over the last 20 years is now available at the click of a link.

You can download an electronic version of Dr Judie Alison’s two-volume book, A Union of Professionals, published last year and launched at PPTA Te Wehengarua Annual Conference.

At the launch, Judie said she hoped the book would become a precious possession for PPTA members. “It’s your history it tells.”

Judie, a PPTA activist from 1971 and then staff member from 2002 – 2018, brings an intimate knowledge of the Association to her book.

The beautifully laid-out book, illustrated with a range of vibrant photographs, covers the work of PPTA Te Wehengarua over the last 20 years. It includes chapters about collective agreement campaigns, how the union responded to various crises affecting members, its involvement in a wide range of professional issues, how PPTA works with, and sometimes against, the government of the day – and much more.

Hard copies of the book are also available from PPTA Te Wehengarua National Office. Email bookorder@ppta.org.nz

A Union of Professionals e-pub can be accessed from the following links:

Download "A Union of Professionals" PDF version here

Download "A Union of Professionals with eBook reader

eBook device holders will need to click and download the file (.epub), followed by transferring it to your e-reader device.