Editor
Can the US Presidential election campaign sink any lower? She wanted every working New Zealander to be paid a With revelations that Donald Trump believes he can do what he fair and decent living, to be safe at work, to be respected and likes to women because he is so powerful, and if he doesn’t pay valued so that in turn every New Zealander could contribute to any Federal tax it makes him a smart business man, you have to making the country a better place for the next generation. Helen wonder whether he qualifies to be a member of American society. Kelly marched to the beat of a fairer, more just and equal New Yet his strong supporters remain unmoved by these disclosures. Zealand. She was the one standing up to the bosses at Pike River Such is their resolve for change. demanding to know why they Trump followers are so sick of More than at any other time had ignored reported warnings American politicians spinning about safety conditions for them false hopes and promising we need an army of people like workers for so long. She also them a share in the wealth stood up to the Forestry industry generated by corporate leaders Helen Kelly to stand up and bosses demanding explanations that they will support anyone tackle the issues of inequality . . . for their disregard for worker for President who does not safety and launched private represent status quo politics. It is prosecutions when Worksafe a desperately sad situation where real democratic choice has all New Zealand declined to press charges. but disappeared and there is a genuine possibility that America More than at any other time, we need an army of people could end up with a President who is completely free of human like Helen Kelly to stand up and tackle the issues of inequality values or any sense of morality, because there is nobody else to before we end up like America. There is no sharing of wealth in vote for. New Zealand and like Mr Trump the wealthiest know every tax The level of inequality world-wide has now reached intolerable loophole to ensure they pay as little as possible, leaving the bulk levels. My last column was an examination of BREXIT and of the tax to be paid by the wage earners. There’s nothing moral what motivated the ‘leave’ vote. One set of BREXIT voters were or ethical about it, but what they are doing is legal. Everything is workers waiting for the wealth to ‘trickle down’ to create more weighted in favour of the privileged few, including tax legislation. jobs and better pay and conditions which after forty years of EU It’s a far cry from the New Zealand that our forebears travelled membership, has still not happened. Workers are certainly not the oceans to establish. Their motivations included escaping the sharing in the wealth being generated and for many people jobs inequalities that come with social class systems. They came to are under constant threat of replacement by technology. establish an egalitarian society where every person was treated As the powerful focus on creating ever larger profits, the as an equal and every person has an equal chance of succeeding powerless become victims of deficient health and safety practices, according to their efforts and ability. They did achieve such a lower wages, and fewer protections. We have witnessed some society and it is only in the last thirty or forty years that we have shameful examples here in New Zealand including the Pike River seen it all unravel. Mine disaster and the Forestry industry’s shocking safety record. Whilst this situation persists, there is never sufficient money Compromising workers’ safety is corporate greed out of control. to provide the public services that New Zealanders need to be There is none so welcome, in such times, as an effective a fair and just society. There is never enough money to prop up and courageous advocate to defend the increasingly muted low income earning families, or to adequately fund the quality work force. New Zealanders are privileged to have had such health and education systems that New Zealanders deserve. an advocate in Helen Kelly and the country recently united Consequently, we will continue to report poor health and in mourning her death. It is impossible, no matter what your education outcomes for those who don’t share in the country’s political stripes, not to concede that bravery, loyalty, fairness and wealth. It will take a Government of Helen Kellys to put this right. justice are commendable attributes and Helen Kelly had these in spades. She was one of the great New Zealanders. Everything she said or did was to support other people. She has been quoted as saying, ‘When you saw someone being treated in a way that was unfair, it was because they were not being treated as a human being, or a citizen or an equal.’ Her mission was to put that right.
President’s Pen
Kia ora koutou katoa Iain Taylor
National President, New Zealand Principals’ Federation
Being out of school for a year to be your national President have observed overseas, particularly in the UK, changes proposed has been a humbling experience and one of the most intensive to fix problems for a very small percentage of schools are being learning encounters of my career. I am grateful that I arrived in applied system wide. The vast majority of schools are doing very Wellington with plenty of experience in many different types well and don’t need these changes foisted on them. All they do is of schools, big and small because this job demands that you add to the stress levels and seem pointless to most. Getting that represent leadership in all schools. You immediately become message through to policy makers is the most frustrating aspect the national voice of principals of being your national president! in the media, the Ministry, ERO, Less experienced principals That said there are also hugely the Education Council, with positive things happening and I Ministers and politicians and on are feeling like they are drowning am proud to say there have been countless reference groups and some wins for us. Through our working parties. Forming strong under wave after wave of new focus on principal wellbeing, we relationships and engaging with demands. have convinced the Minister and these groups and organisations is Ministry and now EDUCANZ critical if NZPF wants to advocate that principals need a system wide for principals in the corridors of power and according to its history that is the main objective on which NZPF was founded. It’s been an intensive year and a steep learning curve which has transformed my view of the education world and I’m grateful for TM that learning. Amidst all the politics, the new policies, changes to the Education Act and other legislation, the VCA, the IES, CoLs, Global Funding and so much more, the NZPF executive has had to critique the pros and cons of every initiative so we could shape and promote the best position for you! We asked how are all these changes, new policies and legislation affecting you as you lead your schools? Are you getting sufficient information and support to understand and make a call on these changes? Are all of these changes in the best interests of school leadership and children’s learning? If not and if we can’t make a difference at every level then what changes should we embrace and where should we push back? I set off around the country to visit you at your regional events and conferences and time and again I got the same message. Principals are feeling besieged! You are not feeling supported and are not getting sound or accurate advice about a lot of different issues. Less experienced principals are feeling like they are drowning under wave after wave of new demands. All of this means that principals’ wellbeing is diminishing as stress levels rise. We made ‘principal wellbeing’ a strategic focus so that it remained in our sights throughout the year. I took every opportunity to lobby decision makers and say to the media that principals are over-burdened and under resourced to cope with the extent and intensity of change expected of them. We also noted that proposed changes often took no account of the diversity of the contexts within which schools operate. As we
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support and advice service that is delivered by the profession. NZPF initiated this idea in 2014. Three principal advisory appointments have since been made and we have continued to work with the Ministry and EDUCANZ to expand the service. We have now reached a point where the terms of reference for a suitable contract to run the advisory service has been constructed and the contract is out for tender. We are expecting that the successful contractor will be administering a system to employ as many as twenty full-time Principal Leadership Advisors (PLAs) all drawn from the profession and located from one end of the country to the other. The key to the success of this service is that the PLAs are your colleagues and are not employed by the Ministry. They are (or have recently been) excellent, experienced principals themselves and are trained in skills of mentoring and coaching. You can safely share all your concerns with PLAs knowing that you will get wise and relevant advice that you can trust. PLAs are there to support you, not to judge or impose penalties on you and you can be assured of their confidentiality. We have also witnessed a number of positive changes to statutory intervention policy and procedures after calling for a review to address aspects of fairness and transparency. Further, we continue to see exponential growth in our Māori Achievement Collaboration (MAC) professional learning and development programme formed in conjunction with Te Akatea and the Ministry. This joint response to Māori student underachievement is a powerful initiative which has the potential to transform the way in which society approaches and embraces
bi-culturalism. As our country rapidly becomes more multicultural it is timely to establish our schools as places where we embrace more than one legitimate world view. Students then carry these values through to their home environments and future school(s) thus making acceptance of multiple world views a normal function of society. I feel proud too to have introduced a strategic approach to executive reporting this year, linking our charter, goals, principles and values with our strategic foci and operational plans. I leave the presidency in good hands and thank the NZPF executive for the support and confidence they extended to me throughout 2016. I urge all of you to continue to support the work of NZPF which remains true to its founding principles. It really does make a difference.
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