The New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association / Te Wehengarua (PPTA) remembers Phil Capper, a PPTA member, friend and colleague. Kevin Bunker PPTA General Secretary spoke at Phil Capper's funeral on Wednesday 9 November. His tribute follows:
"It was with great sadness that we heard that Phil had died on Wednesday 2 November on a return flight from Christchurch.
Phil was an active member of PPTA from the day he began teaching at Spotswood College in 1968 after emigrating from the UK. He served as Branch Chair at Palmerston North Boys’ High, Inangahua College and Greymouth High. In 1978 he was elected as an executive member for Nelson-Marlborough-West Coast, having served as the West Coast regional chair prior to that.
In 1979 Phil joined the staff of PPTA responsible for curriculum, assessment and political liaison. He also had responsibilities for multicultural issues and sex equality; which, as a “Pomey bloke”, he thought to be somewhat ironic.
Phil was a true thinker on educational matters and did seminal work on what was called “The Jagged Edge” – the transitions from formal schooling to further education, training and work; stuff that is still pertinent today. He also helped analyse the ‘Tomorrows’ Schools’ reforms, particularly regarding their impact upon teaching and learning and upon the quality of New Zealand’s public education system. This analysis enabled PPTA and members to focus on those issues which would maintain cohesion and direction within a system that would otherwise have seen schools “elevated” to the status of corner dairies. The Shared Decision Making Project in 1991, which was PPTA’s response to the increased focus on managerialism that was fast becoming a “Tomorrow’s Schools” by-product, is but one example of Phil’s capacity to identify problems and posit solutions in the interests of a better education system for New Zealand.
He left PPTA in 1994 to form his own company WEB Research, with its focus on work, education and business.
Phil’s keen humour and his acute observations of the absurd can be found in Nuncle’s Curiosities column which he wrote for PPTA News from 1980-1991.
Phil will be missed by all of us.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comment form
