Yesterday on Q+A, Hekia Parata deftly implied that the teacher unions and, by implication, the teachers, are totally on board with performance pay. Not just on board, but helping sort out how it will go ahead.
Some of us suspected this was smoke and mirrors, the ole Hekia misdirection that we are so familiar with. So I did what any sensible person should. I asked the unions themselves. And the opposition parties, too. I asked them, “Are you in favour of performance pay for teachers?”
Here are the responses I have had so far, and the tell quite a different story to Hekia’s:
PPTA referred a member to this document and also Tweeted me via PPTAWeb to say:
PPTA do not support performance pay.
NZEI have not sent an official response, but individual reps responded to say:
NZEI does not support competition between schools or teachers. PUM’s are being held in the next couple of weeks. Expect a statement AFTER members have BEEN consulted.
Metiria Turei of the Green Party messaged me to state:
We are opposed to performance pay. All teachers should be priority rewarded for their skills and experience.
Chris Hipkins (Labour) Tweeted me to confirm:
Labour does not support basing teacher pay on student achievement. It’s no measure of ‘performance’
Chris Hipkins replied in more detail to my query on Facebook:
Labour is opposed to paying teachers based on student achievement, which is no true measure of ‘performance’. I object to the whole term ‘performance pay’ because it inevitably leads to pointless arguments about how to tell a good teacher from a poor one, when really we should be focused on how we support all teachers to be great teachers (quality professional development, great initial teacher training, better appraisal systems etc).
No word yet from NZPF. I will update you as soon as I hear from them.
Meanwhile, make sure your union rep, your MP, your principal, and your local newspaper all know that teachers do not want performance pay because it adversely affects their performance and will therefore be TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE STUDENTS.
~ Dianne
Save Our Schools NZ 
Primary Teachers – attend your PUMs in March/April to express your views. NZEI will not support or reject anything without member input. You have to be there to have your say. See schedule: http://www.nzei.org.nz/documents/meetings/PTCA-PUMs-web-20140305.pdf
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Posted by AuntieBarb | March 10, 2014, 2:10 pmExcellent advice. Your voice matters. Every single voice matters.
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Posted by Dianne - SaveOurSchoolsNZ | March 10, 2014, 2:20 pmNo No No, we did not say yes Hekia. I was also annoyed to hear one of the panel members(?) remark that we don’t have good teachers in decile one schools! Being one of those teachers who works her butt off trying to improve PROGRESS MADE I thoroughly object. Where does he get this information? Yes, SOME of our children don’t make the standard BUT they make huge progress towards it. In fact, I might like to make the generalisation that some of our children make greater progress than those who are already AT the standard.
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Posted by Karen Short | March 10, 2014, 4:42 pmMaybe politicians should be payed on their performance, If that were the case would we see them actually working for the good of the country and not making biased answers to generalized statements. Put her in a classroom and get her to show the teachers how it is done.
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Posted by Alister Marttn | March 10, 2014, 5:51 pm