“Te Tai Tokerau Principals are over the moon knowing they only having to wait a month for Ministry help for behavioural needs,” says Pat Newman President Te Tai Tokerau Principals Association.

Responding to Ministry spokesperson Katrina Casey, who seems to think that the average waiting time for help being a month is acceptable, he went onto say that, “All principals up here do acknowledge the work of the Ministry services, but I seriously doubt that anyone with an iota of common sense would agree that waiting a month, whilst an improvement, is acceptable!”

It’s a matter of resourcing and availability. For instance, Principals in the survey applied for 1954 hours for in class support and safety supervision, the allocation received was for less than 50%! Often schools get given an hour a day for this. What they are sposed to do for the rest of the day is what is putting real pressure on schools and teachers and other children in the classrooms.

The problem has been here for years. If we continue to play word games, the problem will still be here in another 20 years. Is that acceptable? The answer has to be if we are serious, to fund by need not numbers!

Pat Newman

President Te Tai Tokerau Principals Association

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