Meeting with Colin King - Blenheim Office/Statement read to Mr. King/Song sung to Mr. King/Photos

Report on visit to Colin King MP Kaikoura Electorate (Meeting held in Blenheim)

Well the signs were made, the balloons were blown up, the cars were decorated and the colour pink was dominant. Off we went to meet Colin King.
The following were in attendance at the meeting, including a reporter and photographer from the Marlborough Express.
Outside we were supported by approximately 12 more people and members of the public who were busy “horn tooting”

Introductions
Nan Kahu; Kaiarahi Bilingual Class and Aronui Tomua Representative, Jan Tuffey; Curriculum Head, Lynne Briggs; teacher with over 30 years experience, Petros Kapralos; Deputy Principal, Joanna Broadbent; Support Staff member, Cathy-Ann Scoon; Support Staff member.

Statement

 At present Support Staff are negotiating their Collective Agreement with the Government
 Negotiations have become stuck
 Support Staff are skilled, qualified professionals

Support Staff are there for children:

 When they arrive at school on a Monday after a bad weekend at home
 When it is time for their medication
 When they haven’t had their medication and all hell breaks loose

Support Staff roles are numerous (as you can see from this tee-shirt),
Teacher Aides:
 Work with blind children
 Work with children who have speech problems
 Work with children who need toileting
 Work with children who are dyslexic
These are just a handful of the special needs that are catered for by Support Staff in our schools.

Not only do Support Staff provide for a child’s educational needs, they also
contribute significantly towards their emotional and social development.

 Support Staff are essential to the smooth running of schools
 Support Staff are passionate about what they do
 Support Staff are not in it for the money
 Some Support Staff receive $12.94 an hour (BEFORE TAX)
 Cleaners receive $14.94 an hour…….



Colin, I am presenting you with over 570 signatures from your electorate. These signatures belong to teachers, Principal’s, Deputy Principals, Boards of Trustees and the wider community and they represent strong support for Support Staff issues.

I have three questions for you:

1. What have you put in place regarding our issues since our last visit on the 17th of April?
2. What do you intend to do regarding our issues when you return to Wellington?
3. What is your perception of Support Staff?

END OF STATEMENT

Mr. King commented on question 1.
“A caucus meeting was held and out of that came the result that Boards of Trustees want the discretion of spending their ops grant their own way”
“There was no commitment to your issues.”
“I cannot comment while your issues are still at the negotiating stage”.

Mr. King commented on question 2.
“I will take these petitions with me and go from there”.

Mr. King commented on question 3.
“As a nation we rely on passion to get a job done”.

Anyway Mr. King and I, along with Una (she doesn’t know it yet) will be going out for a day to observe Support Staff in action, and we will be using his car!!
Mr. King and the delegation that met with him moved outside to join the other supporters and sung him a song that was composed by Nan Kahu and he even joined in!!
Here is the song

(All)
We need, we need a pay rise (to the tune ‘we will, we will rock you) X 2
(Nan)
Colin King you are the man
Take to the Beehive our plan (Nan)
We need, we need a pay rise (to the tune ‘we will, we will rock you) X 2
(Nan)
Support-Staff-work-hard-in-the-workplace (Sing choppy and join in)
You-raised-my-title-not-my-pay-rate
I-DON’T-WANT-A-TITLE-I-JUST-WANT-A-PAY-RISE-COLIN! (Sing to the tune of Michael Jackson’s song – “They don’t really care about us” and join in)