Cyclone Gabrielle FAQs
What is the priority in this situation?
The safety and wellbeing of staff and students is the top priority.
You should only be asked to be on site if it is safe, and if travelling to the site is safe.
You should only be expected to be on site if the situation in your own home and family is under control.
Your own school might be open but the school your children attend may be closed and you may need to provide them with care at home.
What happens about my pay?
The extreme weather may have closed your school or kura or prevented you from attending and working.
You should continue to be paid as normal.
The Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement (6.6.9(a)) and the Area School Teachers' Collective Agreement (5.68 (a)) have provisions for paid leave to cover emergency situations.
This leave will cover situations where the school has remained open, but you are unable to get to school because of damage to your homes, inability to safely travel to school, or because you need to look after your tamariki who are at a school that is closed or which they cannot safely travel to.
Day relievers who were booked to work on the day/s the school is closed will be paid for the time that they have already been booked.
What do I have to do about work?
You may be asked to do all or some of your work from home, including on-line learning, and you should do so if that is practicable.
You may be asked to work at the school. You should do so unless it is not safe to be on site, travelling to the site is unsafe, or you are dealing with damage to your home and/or caring for whānau.
What do if my certification is due to expire?
The Teaching Council are setting up a special email address for people who cannot renew certification/registration on time. You will email this address and the Council will put your certification into a temporary hold.
The email for Teaching Council is extensionrequest@teachingcouncil.nz
They will provide you with an extension to teach at no cost, valid for three months. When you can apply to renew your practising certificate, they undertake to prioritise your application and waive the late fee.
What help is available?
The Ministry of Education has a centrally funded one-on-one counselling services available for staff in state and state-integrated schools, kura, until the end of June this year.
Find out more on the EAP website or by calling 0800 327 669.
You can contact your PPTA field officer if there are employment or pay issues.
Some financial assistance may be available to members in significant financial hardship through the PPTA’s Hardship fund.