I had a very pleasant night last night at the Tertiary Education Union conference dinner. This was the first conference of the combined University and Polytechnic staff union, and therefore was a pretty special occasion. Folk at the dinner were in good spirits, and I spotted a range of people from across the education sector as well as fellow MP Carol Beaumont. I also understand new Green MP to be Dave Clendon was there, though I did not get to say hello.
The talk of the dinner was the appearance at the conference earlier in the day by Education Minister Anne Tolley. For obvious reasons the Minister is not flavour of the month with tertiary staff with funding cuts in the Budget, no move on the cap for EFTS, and in the Polytechnic sector the legislation before the House that will gut Polytechnic Councils. The Minister was no doubt expecting a rowdy reception. The reality could not have been more different.
Delegates told me that after the Minister delivered a fairly turgid speech that offered little in the way of vision and much in the way cliches, there was total and complete silence. All those I spoke with said it was not planned. They were just so underwhelmed with the Minister’s effort that no one felt moved to clap. You could have heard a pin drop.
As the Minster did not have “time” for questions, a TEU representative gave a stirring response to the Minister’s speech, followed by a waiata. In this case the waiata was Solidarity Forever. Apparently this was not the Minister’s cup of tea as she left during the singing.
The TEU delegates I spoke to would rather have had some engagement with the Minister, but I think they probably got their message across in any case!
Weird…. earlier in the day they reported on Newstalk ZB that the TEU appreciated that she’d fronted up to the conference…
I guess at least she had the “time” to attend the conference, instead of just the sticky bun fight afterwards?
@Nathan. I went to the bit of the conference I was invited to. Not sure about the Newstalk ZB story, just reporting what delegates told me.
Nathan – my understanding is that they gave her credit for fronting – ie. she was brave to turn up to a place where she is wildly unpopular – of course she has created this situation for herself…and given that she appears incapable of listening things can only get worse.
Good job.
Hope she got the message. the cap for EFTS, is not good news for me and could be the reason why I may not get in next year. Toddlers will not let you study full time. They want you to read their books not your text books.
I also don’t like the new national standards for primary schools. That will affect me as a teacher and a mother (I say teacher as there is still hope I’ll get in to study part time for 2 years before I step up and do full time). She just won’t listen to anyone. Maybe she will listen to silence.
The caps to tertiary education are terrible, I know a poor guy who has been forced into early retirement and the department can’t afford to replace him.
Thats sad that he had to retire. Not good.
Yes, and because they can’t replace him they are offering fewer papers each year.
I meant next year.
Its sounds like the silence made her very uncomfortable if she left as soon as she could.
I’m not sure she would have noticed the silence as a form of protest – instead she would prob think it validates her.
I have heard her described as worse than merv wellington – and people hated him.
Paul
I hope your not right, but sadly you prob are.
I was a delegate at that conference. Members of the conference delegation stood around the walls of the room holding placards and did not applaud on her arrival nor on her departure. Silence was indeed golden and made a very strong statement.