New Zealand’s largest education union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, held its 124th Annual Meeting at the Wellington Town Hall from Sunday 23rd September until Wednesday September 26th.
500 elected representatives of the union’s 46,000 members met to set NZEI’s agenda for 2008, including its priorities for advancing quality public education during election year.
The meeting was opened on Sunday 23rd September by the President of Education International, the 30 million member global education union which NZEI is affiliated to. Thulas Nxesi, also General Secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union, addressed meeting delegates at 4pm in the Town Hall. Download his speech here.
Education spokespeople and the Minister of Education were be questioned by NZEI members during a political panel on Tuesday, and members debated the future direction of early childhood education, improvements in teacher:student ratios, special education policy and managing disruptive students.
MONDAY 24th SEPTEMBER
8.30am - 8.40am - President's introduction. Read here
11.10am -11.55am – Members endorsed NZEI’s report "Disruptive Student Behaviour" (released publicly in August). NZEI members discussed recommendations to manage disruptive students and to protect education staff from physical and verbal aggression from students and their families.
Download the reporthere
1.45pm -2.05pm - The Federal President of the Australian Education Union Pat Byrne will discuss Australian employment and education issues as her country heads into a general election.
3.20pm -3.50pm – members endorsed NZEI report “Setting a Framework for Policy Development on Special Education”.
Download it here.
TUESDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER
7am - Breakfast speech by Martin Thrupp - Professor of Education at the University of Waikato delivered a challenging speech entitled "Education's Inconvenient Truth: Persistent Middle Class Advantage".
10.50am-11.15am - Guest speaker Ann Milne, the Principal of Clove Park Middle School and Te Whanau o Tupuranga, discussed strategies to improve Maori achievement in schools. See Ann's school website for further information.
12.30pm-2pm - Political panel in which education spokespeople from the main political parties, including the Education Minister, discussed education issues of the day and outlined their party policies.
2pm-2.30pm - Presentation of NZEI report "Quality Public ECE: A Vision for 2020".
Download ithere.
3.20pm-4.15pm - The Minister of Education Steve Maharey addressed the conference. Download his speech and his press release announcing new teacher scholarships.
4.15pm-4.55pm - Members endorsed the NZEI report "Primary Teacher Staffing Priorities".
Download ithere.
WEDNESDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER
Guest speaker Ross Wilson - NZCTU President. Download his speech here
Other Activities
Read the Fringe Agenda here.
You can track the progress NZEI has made to meet resolutions passed at previous Annual Meetings here.
Annual Meeting Branch Updates
NZEI Branch Update 9 - Annual Meeting 2007
NZEI Branch Update 10 - Annual Meeting 2007
NZEI Branch Update 11 - NZEI Te Riu Roa Draft Policy Document
NZEI Branch Update 12 - Annual Meeting 2007 Arrangements
NZEI Branch Update 13 - Report to Annual Meeting 2007 - Quality Public ECE: A Vision for 2020
NZEI Branch Update 14 - Annual Meeting 2006 Minutes
NZEI Branch Update 16 - Annual Meeting 2007 - Resolutions Policy and Rules
NZEI Branch Update 17 - Report to Annual Meeting 2007 - Disruptive Student Behaviour
Annual Meeting Resolutions
Read them here
Annual Meeting Minutes
Read them here
Annual Meeting Resources
The Annual Meeting Report 2007 (minus financials, which are confidential to members) are now available on the website. This file is 3.8mb and may take some time to download. First time at Annual Meeting Poem here.
Annual Meeting Draft Minutes 2006 here.
Read NZEI's draft policy document here.
Primary Teacher Staffing Priorities here.
Special Education Policy Review here.
Quality Public ECE - A Vision for 2020 here.
Disruptive Student Behaviour - here pdf 3.1mb
NZEI Survey on physical and verbal assaults by students here
NZEI's Rules are here.