May 16th is designated as Support Staff Day. This day is a celebration of the vital contributions of various support staff members in schools and educational institutions. Support staff roles include learning assistants, Kaiāwhina (teacher's aides), Kaiārahi (resource teachers), administration staff, librarians, property & maintenance staff and science technicians. NZEI Te Riu Roa, the education union, encourages schools to celebrate this day and acknowledges the work of support staff throughout the week of May 13-17th.

Support staff are an essential part of our school communities. They have a collective agreement bargaining round underway and are experiencing this government’s hardline approach to public sector pay and conditions. 

Please sign the petition here to show that support staff are valued members of the education sector and encourage our government to invest in essential school staff.