PPTA

There is a New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association / Te Wehengarua (PPTA) branch in each school or workplace making the branch the most  immediate and significant level of involvement for most members.

• 18,000 members in 560 branches (schools).

• Each branch is autonomous.

• Branches are led by elected officials, normally  branch committee.

• A branch receives funds from their region.

The effective performance of branch officers is crucial to ensure that the Association receives accurate and clear messages about what is happening in schools and what members want, and for members to receive the information and assistance in their working lives to which they are entitled.

Many branches are now led by an elected collective of branch officials, among whom tasks are shared out as they arise.

Download the PPTA Branch chairs' handbook (2012)

Branch positions

Traditional branch positions include:

Branch Chairperson – who normally chairs branch meetings and acts as a focus for branch activity such as leading branch delegations to the Board, meeting with the PTA or local MP,attending regional meetings. S/he should be a person in whom branch members have confidence when seeking advice on individual conditions of service matters. This could involve considerable interaction with school administrators.
The professional leadership role of this position within the school is increasingly being recognised by the allocation of timetabled non-teaching periods within the school week.

Branch Secretary – a crucial role in the efficient running of the branch. Responsibilities include receiving and disseminating inward correspondence, displaying the Collective News prominently, distributing PPTA News to all members, keeping minutes of all branch and committee meetings, writing outward correspondence, completing branch membership returns and notifying changes to membership during the year. The secretary
is also the branch returning officer (except for the election of branch secretary) and must ensure that voting procedures for all Association elections are carried out impeccably. The branch should also establish an email address and notify the national and field office of this address.

Branch Women’s Contact – an important link in the Association’s women’s network. This person  should be a point of contact for women teachers with queries about conditions of service, should encourage women staff to join, particularly part-timers, and explain the different categories of membership available, should disseminate information provided by PPTA’s Women’s Officer and the Regional Women’s Coordinator, and should ensure that women branch members have opportunities to discuss matters of particular relevance to them and a means of expressing their views.

Branch Treasurer – responsible for accounting for the funds allocated to the branch by the region [see also Branch Finances].

Health and Safety Officer – branches should have an official who specialises in safety in the workplace. The Health and Safety in Employment Act requires elected health and safety representatives in every worksite. These representatives are entitled to two days paid leave per annum for training. Their representatives should advise their field office when they are elected so that their names can be forwarded to the CTU for attendance at a training course.

A branch collective can include members who take on (or share) the above responsibilities and others who are prepared to be part of a branch executive.

Branch role

Branches have primary responsibility for monitoring conditions of service within the school; ensuring that members who have problems receive assistance where appropriate; recruiting non-members and implementing Association policy within the school.

Branches need to express opinions on policy matters and on specific issues. As the key point of contact for members with the rest of the Association, it is important that the branch functions effectively.

Branch membership lists

Branch officials can access a branch membership list by logging in to the website.

To log-in your Username can be either your MOE number (on your payslip) or your email address that matches the address we have on PPTA’s membership database.

Initially your password is lowercase and consists of the first two letters of your first name combined with the first two letters of your surname plus the numerals 01. When you have successfully logged in to the site please change your password and update your details if this is required.

Use the Membership Enquiry form if you have any questions.

After logging in branch officials (branch chairperson, treasurer and secretary) will find they have an extra menu link called Branch Groups, this link takes them to their branch list.

The list is in alphabetical order by surname.

Note at the bottom of the page is a <Display Num> option, choose <All>  to enable you to either print the list from your browser window (File, Print), or you can copy and paste the list into a document.