New role ‘exciting, challenging'
Q How are you enjoying your new role as chairman? What do you enjoy most about it?
It's an exciting and challenging role to handle both the governance and the day-to-day operations of Waitaki Multicultural. It's exciting because there is always something happening. Either we set those events up or others across the district have something special going on, in which we collaborate. We use our Facebook mostly to notify our community of these events. Challenging, as governance in New Zealand is a bit different than what I'm used to from the Netherlands. I have my own style to run our committee meetings, but that's what makes it fun. Our committee includes a range of different cultural backgrounds: Uruguayan, Argentinian, Italian, Tongan, Filipino, Indonesian, Kiwi and Dutch. I encourage anyone who is interested to join us, to reach out to me. You do not have to be a migrant to join our committee.
Q Can you please tell us what has been happening since Maria Buldain stepped down as chairwoman and what updates you can provide on what the organisation has been up to? Have there been any changes or new staffing?
There is always heaps going on. We are creating an exciting new strategic plan to guide us in the next five years. We're working hard to make sure we are compliant with the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 — this includes a complete refresh of our constitution. We are in the process of recruiting a third staff member to help us with applying for grants and organising events. The vacancy will go live soon.
Q What events (like Festive Feast or Multicultural Day) are coming up that the public might like to know about?
We celebrate Multicultural Day on the last Friday of August, this year on August 29. We encourage people to wear their traditional apparel and make their cultural food, wherever they may be — at workplaces, at home, it doesn't matter. Be proud of your culture. This includes Kiwi culture too! Festive Feast is coming November 22, a grand celebration of our diverse culture in the district. We are in the early stages of planning for this beloved event. You can find our newsletter on the Facebook group or subscribe via our website, to keep up to date about all our other activities.
Q You are a not-for-profit organisation. What is the staffing/volunteer structure? Can you explain how Multicultural Waitaki is set up and how it works with Waitaki District Council and other organisations in the community?
We are fully dependent on our funders, such as Ministry of Social Development, ETu Whanau, Catalytic Foundation and New Zealand Lotteries Commission. Other key local funders are Network Waitaki and Waitaki District Council (WDC). We do not fundraise but donations are always welcome. Our structure is independent. Some people sometimes assume we are part of WDC, which we are not. Our committee provides the oversight and governance of Waitaki Multicultural. We work with volunteers in the community, which we appreciate so much. They provide activities, such as English Conversation Club, Active Movement Programme, Coffee Group, Friday Night Drinks and Migrant Meet and Share. These are co-ordinated by our lovely community connector Justyna. She is the face of our organisation. Rico keeps the office running by providing promotional material and administering our finances. We collaborate with many organisations across the district on events and wellbeing. I can't name them all but I'll provide a small selection: Stronger Waitaki, Oamaru Pacific Island Community, Filipino Association, Oamaru Muslim Association, Welcoming Communities, YMCA, English Language Partners, SHAMA — Supporting Ethnic Women, Plunket and a range of social service providers.
Q You were vice-chairman before becoming chairman. Can you please tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to be involved with Waitaki Multicultural?
My wife and I moved to New Zealand back in January 2020, just before Covid happened. I was working as a team leader at Rabobank in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and my wife worked as a GP. Before we made the move to live on the other side of the world, we travelled across New Zealand-Aotearoa in 2018. In an instant we fell in love with the beauty, the nature and the friendly Kiwis. Making the decision to move was quite easy for us; the family took it a bit harder. When we were still in the Netherlands, I found the Waitaki Multicultural website and Facebook group. So within the first two weeks we were in Oamaru, we both attended several Waitaki Multicultural events. Making these connections and friends helped us settle in the region, especially during those rough times. It was just a matter of months after our arrival when I was asked to join the committee, which I did with great enthusiasm. We live on a lifestyle block and currently have 11 alpacas, five chickens and two cats.
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I just wish the government acknowledged teachers as people, too. It's also difficult to accept that our ministers seem to be working on the assumption that experienced teachers are making $40,000 more than they actually are. In a press release responding to the strike announcement and subsequent radio interviews, Judith Collins said experienced teachers made over $140,000 each year. A teacher at the top of the pay scale is actually earning $103,000 and might be getting an additional $2,000 to $5,000 for extra duties like being in charge of a subject. Deputy principals might be close to $140,000 a year, but there aren't enough of those roles to pay even 10% of experienced teachers that much money. New Zealand schools are facing an increasing number of students with diverse needs and backgrounds who frequently require specialised pastoral care and learning support. The PPTA sought to protect these vulnerable ākonga by increasing pastoral care funding for schools, to ensure that students can learn in an environment where they feel safe and supported. The government disregarded this claim entirely, with no changes to pastoral care mentioned in its offer. The PPTA also requested funding for helping teachers upskill within schools in the form of a professional learning and development allowance and financial incentives for teachers who can demonstrate proficiency in key areas, like te reo Māori (such incentives already exist across the public sector, including the Ministry of Education). Instead, the government wants to restrict teachers' current ability to complete funded study awards or sabbaticals. The claim put forward by the government revokes all funding unless a teacher can publish research based on their studies, which means teachers cannot use this funding to improve their understanding of New Zealand's official languages unless they are already fluent. Teachers cannot take part in study days or overseas conferences to improve their practice. The government might argue it wants highly skilled and professional teachers, but it isn't willing to pay for them. One of the more glaring needs in New Zealand schools that the curriculum refresh has uncovered is the need for properly resourced curriculum advisers. We need good resources to deliver this evolving curriculum to students with confidence. Instead of reassuring teachers that the Ministry of Education is committed to helping teachers do the best job they can in planning for this new curriculum, the ministry refused to acknowledge this claim and left it out of their offer. Without adequate funding or resourcing, teachers will be overwhelmed by the impending changes to NCEA and the New Zealand curriculum. The government's obsession with saving money and cutting costs risks burning out teachers and worsening our teacher shortage. Where can we go from here? Despite rising tensions and concerns within education, teachers entered into these negotiations with a set of very reasonable demands. Instead of making a reasonable counteroffer, the government ignored our requests and crafted an offer seemingly purpose-built to make things worse. Some might even be inclined to argue that the government designed the offer as a premeditated political stunt to win points with a voter base that has historically disliked those in the public sector. Some might say that the government has initiated these negotiations in bad faith. Not me, though – I'll leave such conspiratorial accusations to be handed out by our MPs. Instead of trying to figure out who's morally right or wrong, I want the government to focus on crafting an actual offer. One that pays teachers well enough to draw in talented new professionals and helps our current staff develop the cultural and pastoral competency needed to ensure our ākonga learn and succeed.
