PPTA Women's Network

PPTA women's structures

The women's structure of PPTA provides a forum for women members to raise, discuss and promote their issues and aims at branch, regional and national levels.

Branch women's contacts are the first port of call for women members in branches.

Regional women's coordinators continue their regional roles of coordinating women's issues, activities, and education throughout their regions.

The women's network is responsible for overall coordinating of women members' issues and activities, oversees particular initiatives and campaigns and conveys issues of concern to the executive.

Women's network goals

The PPTA women’s network set the following strategic goals:

• Campaigning on extending paid parental leave (including for partners), domestic violence leave, and equal pay
• Supporting members who work part-time to achieve pro-rata non-contact time
• Helping to ensure that the only fixed-term contracts that apply to PPTA members are legal ones
• Knowing your rights in the collective agreements (including encouraging members to attend Mahi Tika training)
• Supporting women in leadership roles in teaching
• Speaking to MPs during the election campaign about education priorities for PPTA and the issues of women outlined above

Branch women's contact

Branch women's contacts are elected annually in PPTA branches, and are part of their branch committee.  In some branches, two women share the role.

The role of a branch women's contact may include:

• Explaining different categories of membership to women staff and encouraging membership of women relievers and part-timers
• Recruiting new women members (unions have long found that recruiting women members is often most effective when women members approach other women to join the union)
• Being a first point of contact for women teachers with their queries about conditions or employment issues
• Disseminating pamphlets and other information from the Women's Officer and the Regional Women's Co-Ordinator, and referring women members to the PPTA website etc
• Encouraging and supporting EEO and anti-violence initiatives in your school
• Providing women branch members with safe opportunities to discuss matters of particular relevance to them
• Working with other Branch Officers to strengthen your branch and organise branch training
• Liasing with the Women's Officer and with your local Field Officer
• Contributing to your regional network and building links with women at other schools
• Where possible, attending branch and regional seminars and employment relations education courses.

Regional women's coordinator

Regional women's coordinators are elected annually in PPTA regions and are part of regional executive or management teams.

The role of a regional women's coordinator may include:

• advocacy of equality for women
• helping to feed women's views into branch, regional and national PPTA activities
• assisting in political and union education of women members
• helping to explain PPTA policies to women members
• working with other members to build and maintain a regional women's network
• working with your regional executive, the Field Office and the Women's Officer to organise training and support for branch women's contacts
• participating in Employment Related Education programmes
• obtaining a regional budget and using that budget to enhance unionism and equality for women
• phoning, faxing and/or emailing branch women's contacts regularly
• making branch visits
• organising a visit from the Women's Officer
• sending out newsletters

National women's network

The PPTA women's network is made up of regional women's coordinators elected in each PPTA region, together with representative members from both Te Huarahi and Komiti Pasifika. 

The role of a women's network member includes;

• advocacy of equality for women
• representing women's views to the National Executive of PPTA and to Te Huarahi and Komiti Pasifika
• liaison with your local Executive members and regional officers
• liaison with branches, wherever possible through branch women contacts
• assisting in the political and union education of women members
• explaining PPTA policies to women members
• keeping a calendar and diary of PPTA events and a directory of contacts
• in the case of Te Huarahi and Komiti Pasifika building networks of supportive women from your structures and working with the Women's Officer or Regional Women Coordinators to run joint events in regions
• supporting women's networks in your areas
• preparing and encouraging other women to take on PPTA branch and regional positions and to stand for election to other PPTA offices including positions on National Executive, Te Huarahi and Komiti Pasifika
• communicating locally and nationally about women's concerns and achievements
• developing strengths in public speaking and management of meetings
• educating women about the collective agreement
• participating in Employment Relations Education programmes
• working with the Women's Officer and Field Officers to strengthen unionism in secondary schools

PPTA women’s officer

The PPTA women's officer is a member of the advisory team at PPTA national office and is available to;

• assist, advise and support women members by promoting women's issues
• support the women's network structures
• disseminate advice and information
• co-ordinate women's activities
• visit branches and regions
• run workshops and seminars
• liaise and work with other women's organisations and unions on issues of concern to women members, particularly through participation in the work of the CTU Women's Council.