Erica Stanford: Education Minister on the secondary teachers accepting their new collective agreement

The Education Minister's pleased to see secondary school teachers vote yes for their new collective agreement.  

PPTA members have accepted the Government's offer, which includes a 4.6% pay increase over two years and a million dollar a year fund for professional development.  

Minister Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking it's a good resolution and she's happy for teachers.  

She says they've worked hard to raise achievement and close the equity gap, and they deserve the pay rises they're getting over the next two years. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Nice to be able to end the year on some
more educational news. In the classroom. Of course, we're seeing
tangible improvements in areas like maths and literacy. O The
unions have been a bit of a problem though, but
part of that at least is sort of this morning,
a deal cut with the secondary teachers four point six
percent over two years, along with sector and curriculum changes
next year. Erica Stanford is the Education Minister and is
with us. Good morning, Good morning mate. You're relieved.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
I look, I'm really pleased. I'm pleased for those teachers
because I've been working so hard to raise achievements and
close the equity gap. And from next year, you know,
they'll see pay rises and then again the following year,
and they deserve that.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Did you move much in the end from where you started?

Speaker 2 (00:41):
We did a small amount. It's been really quite a
tough road with the unions this time around, and I
think you saw from Brian, Sir Brian Roach, you know,
the frustration over bargaining where we just didn't really have
any idea where the unions wanted to go because they
weren't particularly forthcoming with where they wanted to bag and
so we were flying a bit blind, but I think

(01:02):
in the end that sort of resolved itself, and there
was quite good negotiations that happened towards the end where
they actually said, hey, this is what we're willing to
negotiate on, so we knew where we were going. So
a good resolution in the end, and I hope that
the NZDI will will follow.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yeah, I was going to say, who's settled, who's left.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
So we've had in terms of Secondary where I'm hoping,
fingers crossed, that will settle principles shortly, so obviously that
the teachers are done, I'm hoping the principles will follow.
With Primary, we have done a part of the principles.
The Primary Principles collect a bargaining union have settled. They
represent about six hundred of the of the principles, so

(01:40):
that they are settled. And so now we are looking
at the rest of the primary principles and primary teachers
and so we'll we're negotiating and good faith.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
How many unions are you dealing with here, I mean
this is a cluster.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
Well, she knows it's quite good having a number of unions,
you know, the PPCBO, the Primary, then a new name
it's terrible at p PCBU, but they have been wonderful
to deal with. They settled early, they settled quickly, they
were very good to deal with. They put a number
of things on the table that they wanted, they were
very clear. You know, of course, there's SPANS a Secondary
Principles Association. They're also very very good to deal with.

(02:17):
So having different unions outside of PPTA and NZDI is
actually quite a good thing, and we have got very
good relationships with them.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
How much of this whole thing do you think, in
your heart of hearts is about the fact they hate
you because you're conservatives.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Oh look, I couldn't say. You'll have to ask them
that that's certainly well, no, they probably won't. But look,
I mean it's pretty obvious that they you know that
they are very critical and whenever there is good news
like the fact that every single primary intermediate is going
to get a learning support coordinator, deadly silent. So you know, look,
it is what it is. But I'm actually not worried

(02:53):
about them. All I care about is making sure that
our kids are doing really well in school and all
of the you know, the grief I get from the unions,
I'll tell you what. It melts away in a second
when I see the results for our kids with reading, writing,
and maths improving, because that's what I'm here to do,
and that's what I'll continue to drive to do, regardless
of what the unions say.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Good on you. What's your Spotify age?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Oh god, I did it last night after I saw
the report. So it's forty nine. And I'm not forty nine.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
By the way, are you not?

Speaker 2 (03:22):
No, I'm not. I'm closed, but I'm not. It's the
problem is I stopped listening to new music in about
nineteen ninety nine, and so that's aspire as I go.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
So what was your hot artist?

Speaker 2 (03:33):
It was the Goo Goo Dolls and then Green Day.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, you know that that's good music. Listen, have Merry Christmas.
Lovely dealing with you this year, and I'm sure we'll
deal with each other next year as well.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Thanks Mike, you enjoy your holidays.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Take your Ministry of Education, Erica Stamford. For more from
the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks. It'd
be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.