New Zealand Tertiary Education Union

You can't cut your way to sustainability.

Tertiary Education Union – Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa | Te Pūkenga staff cuts a race to the bottom Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union is disappointed to see several polytechnics scrambling to cut staff to show viability ahead of the proposed breakup of Te Pūkenga.

This week we have been celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Ake, Ake, Ake | A forever language. To help you join in, we’ve made a poster with a few handy phrases on it for you to practice. Why not print it off, practice the phrases and put it on the wall so others can try too!

teu-production.s3.amazonaws.com

We are continuing to celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Ake, Ake, Ake | A forever language this week. You too can show your support to all your friends and whānau with this phone wallpaper and Zoom background!

Tēnā koe, this week Te Hautū Kahurangi is celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Ake, Ake, Ake | A forever language. To join in, check out the stacks of useful ngā rauemi | resources over at Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori | The Māori Language Commission:

Rauemi reo | Reo resources - Reo Māori Te reo Māori resources created by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.

When we fight back, we win.

“It’s deeply concerning that the Minister is interfering with how the sector is run by ignoring advice from officials, foreshadowing job cuts and asset sales, and pushing students towards online delivery whether it works for them or not.”

Tertiary Education Union – Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa | Simmonds’ behaviour not in the best interests of our future workforce Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union is becoming increasingly troubled by the behaviour of Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds.

We've written to Minister Simmonds to follow up on our unproductive meeting with her last week and reiterate our need for answers on the future of vocational education.

TEU members at six universities came together in force at paid union meetings yesterday, and called for a strike vote. They're fed up with low pay offers and they don't want any of their colleagues paid below the Living Wage.

Tertiary Education Union – Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa | Six universities to open strike ballots Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union members at six universities came together in force at paid union meetings yesterday, and called for a strike vote.

"As long as we're not duplicating across the country, as long as we're not competing like crazy with each other across the country. It's just a race to the bottom. And the old world, 10 years ago, was exactly that," - Gus Gilmore

Te Pūkenga staff 'pi**ed off', tired by organisation's constant change The institution's chief executive also told Parliament some polytechnics are unlikely to be financially viable.

"Will the Minister listen to her own officials who indicate the plans she has for a standalone polytechnic and federation model has major risks and is going impact negatively on Aotearoa, on learners, on staff, and on industry?"

Tertiary Education Union – Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa | Time to listen, Minister Simmonds Vocational education and training in Aotearoa has a funding problem. There just isn’t enough money to make sure every learner, employer, and community gets what they need.

We stand in solidarity with FIRST Union members at Countdown/Woolworths, on strike for a living wage, safe staffing minimum standards and penalty rate for night and weekend work. They're worth it! Tū kotahi, tū kaha.

We're cautiously optimistic about some of the measures in the government’s proposed plan for vocational education and training, but the devil is likely to be in the detail and deep cuts still loom.

Tertiary Education Union – Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa | Devil will be in the detail for Te Pūkenga changes Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union is cautiously optimistic about some of the measures in the government’s proposed plan for vocational education and training, but the devil is likely to be in the detail and deep cuts still loom.

✊🏾✊🏿✊🏻 In addition to diving into the research findings of EI’s Quadrennial Report on LGBTI+ rights in education, participants at the LGBTI+ Caucus discussed and helped shape the next steps to advance EI’s collective work securing and defending LGBTI+ rights.🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

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✊🏾✊🏿✊🏻 Además de ahondar en los resultados de la Encuesta Cuadrienal sobre Igualdad de Género y Diversidad, les participantes del Caucus LGBTI+ del definieron los próximos pasos que impulsarán el trabajo de la IE para asegurar y defender los derechos LGBTI+ 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

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✊🏾✊🏿✊🏻 En plus d’analyser les résultats du Rapport quadriennal de l’IE sur les droits des LGBTI+ dans l’éducation, les participant·e·s au Caucus LGBTI+ du ont contribué à façonner le prochain travail collectif de l’IE en matière de défense des droits des LGBTI+. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

A government that considers itself ‘business savvy’ and says it’s committed to reducing wasteful spending, overseeing money being thrown at pricey consultancy companies to tell them how to profitably run a network of organisations.

Tertiary Education Union – Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa | Government’s handling of Te Pūkenga an “ongoing shambles” Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union is dismayed to note the ongoing shambles unfolding around the disestablishment of Te Pūkenga.

A blog by Jack Heinemann on how academic freedom is not free speech. A lot of people get these things mixed up...

Tertiary Education Union – Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa | How academic freedom isn’t free speech In this article I’ll compare freedom of expression (“free speech”) and academic freedom.1 For the working academic - staff or student - the differences matter.

Need funding for training or professional development, or to make a great idea that could make a real difference happen? ‘Grants for Good’ supports amazing projects large and small and helps individuals with funding for PD.

Tertiary Education Union – Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa | Got an idea to make a difference? Are you looking to undertake training or professional development, or do you have a great idea that could make a real difference, but need funding to make it happen?

Our National President, Dr Julie Douglas, talked to Kathryn Ryan at length this morning, about our concerns for the future of vocational education and training.

What needs to happen to get vocational education moving in the right direction? What will unwinding Te Pukenga look like for students and staff in the vocational education sector?

TEU was proudly part of the VUW for Living Wage action at the VUW Council meeting on Monday. The action showed overwhelming support for the living wage at VUW from community, students, staff and other unions.

One of the ways to ensure students receive good education is to ensure all staff regardless of position with a wage that puts food on the table, the lights on, and a safe warm place to stay. VUW has 513 directly employed staff, such as tutors, teaching assistants who are paid less than the living wage. These workers also included contract workers like cleaners and catering workers.

The Living Wage action highlighted the levers that can be used across Aotearoa to provide good work and ending inequality through ensuring of organisations paying a living wage.

Last month, Minister Penny Simmonds sent Te Pūkenga a "letter of expectations". Yesterday, we sent our letter of expectations to Minister Simmonds. https://teu-production.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Letter_of_Expectations_to_Minister.pdf

We continue to stand with the global union movement and Education International calling for peace in Gaza and the West Bank. We know schools and universities have been targeted in this war, and academics and students have lost their lives - there can be no justification for this. Everyone in the world deserves a right to education, and children, students and their families the world over have a right to expect that when they attend a class they will return home safely.

Global union leaders affirm support for Palestinian trade unions and the Palestinian people This week leaders of eight Global Union Federations (GUFs) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) travelled to Ramallah to convey their solidarity to unions in the West Bank and Gaza. These organisations represent almost every sector of the global economy and have members in more tha...

“In real terms, because of this Budget, our workers are worse off, our students are worse off, our employers are worse off, and our institutions are worse off.”

Tertiary Education Union – Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa | A budget without imagination or vision In real terms, because of this Budget, our workers are worse off, our students are worse off, our employers are worse off, and our institutions are worse off.

TEU members and staff in Pōneke today. Toitū te Tiriti!

Pics are in from today's strike at The University of Waikato! Thanks to our wonderful member Phil Treweek for capturing them so beautifully.

#UoWonStrike Explore this photo album by NZ TEU on Flickr!