When I eventually get hold of Avon School principal Lisa Hill, I promise her I won’t take up much of her precious time. She laughs and says it’s okay, she and a teacher aide (TA) were just dealing with a child who was “having a bit of a moment”. As the principal, interactions like these are just part of Lisa’s every day. But she is quick to point out she has a hugely competent and supportive team.
“Teacher aides are often the glue that keeps a classroom humming, they are the fixer, the helper, the supporter and the person all our ākonga can rely on.”
Avon School is situated off the main road in Stratford, Taranaki, nestled on a quiet suburban street, the mountain its backdrop. A bright, welcoming sign at the gate says that aroha is the focus for the week. There’s a sign on the wall in the office that says ‘Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars’.
Despite a number of high needs children attending Avon School, Lisa has limited funding to pay for her teacher aides. Teacher aides received a pay equity settlement in 2020 recognising the undervaluation of this work. The latest NZEI Te Riu Roa review was in 2024 and showed that teacher aides are once again lagging way behind their comparators, but with the Government cancelling all current pay equity claims and reviews the battle to address inequity in the sector is far from over. As well as this, teacher aides are among educators who are in bargaining for an improved support staff collective agreement after the latest offer from the Ministry of Education amounted to a zero percent pay rise for most staff.
“We have five teacher aides, with a roll of 68. Our school has one of the higher equity numbers [equivalent to low decile],” Lisa says, leading me down a corridor, lined with school bags, and more beautiful artwork. We pass two senior students, who both smile and say hello. Lisa shows me into a classroom at the far end. It’s the new entrants’ class and everyone looks busy. A woman is working intently with a group of children at a round table, and doesn’t notice us come in.
“Deidre is one of our brilliant teacher aides,” Lisa says, and Deidre looks up, smiling. All the children are smiling too, writing books open, pencils in hand.
At morning tea, Deidre Minhinnick tells me she has been at the school 26 years. “I’ve learned so much over the time I’ve been here. The kids are so appreciative of what we do. That’s why I’m still here. I love being with the kids. If I see one child make progress then it’s worth it.”
A lot is required for a teacher aide working with a high-needs student to enable them to participate equitably in the mainstream classroom environment. “If we didn’t have the teacher aides we do have, the ability to give all ākonga a fair deal just wouldn’t be possible,” says Lisa.
Deidre nods. “I had a Down Syndrome boy from the age of five right through. He spent an extra year here at Avon before he went to high school.” She smiles broadly at the memory of him. “He wouldn’t have coped in the mainstream classroom if he didn’t have a TA full time. He had limited speech but I got used to it and we got him writing.”
“That’s why I’m still here. I love being with the kids. If I see one child make progress then it’s worth it.”
Deidre Minhinnick
Lisa comments that the benefit to the student is only half the point. “As an educator, I’ve been fortunate to have these kids in my classroom. The gifts they give the other tamariki are immense. You can’t teach this stuff. If these TAs weren’t here, those kids couldn’t participate equitably. It’s about equity,” says Lisa. “With a lot of support from TAs like Deidre, high needs students can be taught alongside their peers in a mainstream class. Everyone benefits immeasurably.”
I put it to Deidre that when children grow up in diverse and accepting educational settings, they become more empathetic and intelligent. She nods. “Absolutely. The teacher will explain that some children are different and we need to have empathy. And the kids are amazing, generally. You might get the odd one who’s a bit like, whatever, but the majority of kids are incredibly supportive.”
I’m introduced to some students who benefit from Deidre’s support, as well as another teacher aide, Mel Shaw.
“Deidre helps me with my spelling and my vowels. She takes her time with me and she understands me very well,” McKenzie* tells me. She says it makes a big difference having Deidre.
“Mel is so helpful,” Ella* says. “I really like her. I only work with her some days in the classroom. It makes a big difference having Mel with me.”
Mel and Deidre both feel their role is even more important because they work in a school with a high equity index. “A lot of these kids need a lot of love,” says Deidre.
Whānau also rely on the support of teacher aides. Jessica* is a parent with a high needs child. “Over the last few years, I have been phoned by different schools on numerous occasions to collect my child from school, because without a one-on-one TA my son couldn’t cope with school.” Her son Ariki* is now 15. She says sometimes Ariki was at home more than he was at school, something which added more stress to their already stressful family environment.
“While he is not at school there is no learning for him. It becomes emotionally draining for our family.” Being away from school impacted Ariki badly. “This also has a mental impact on my son, because he knows that other children are able to cope in this situation.”
“Without a one-on-one TA my son couldn’t cope with school.”
Parent
Jessica is now also a caregiver for her nephew, Bodhi*, who is nine 9 and attends Avon School. Bodhi has learning needs too. “Our family couldn’t cope without the respite that having him in school brings. It would put even more stress on the relationships within our family. Having the ability for him to have a social and learning environment where he is safe and cared for by people who know him and his needs gives our family time to recharge and be the best we can for him when he comes home.”
Another parent, Kristin*, agrees. Her son Jason* is 12 and is making great progress at Avon. “It would be much harder on me as I haven’t got the skills to give him what he needs. The help has built his confidence, and he is now finding the work easier.”
These parents, along with principals and classroom teachers, recognise that teacher aides are experienced professionals whose expertise is essential to the success of students. Over the years, Deidre has worked with literacy and maths groups, as well as in a 1:1 capacity with high needs students. The role is varied, and she is always learning new skills. “I usually have the resource teacher of literacy come in. She trained me on what to do with the children for the literacy programme and the classroom teacher also helps. If I don’t know something, I ask.” She laughs. “We tell the kids to ask if they’re stuck, it’s the same principle for us, isn’t it?”
The 2020 pay equity settlement for teacher aides resulted in a professional development fund worth millions, which was enhanced in support staff collective bargaining. Through this funding many teacher aides have been able to specialise in areas such as neurodiversity and literacy.
“If these TAs weren’t here, those kids couldn’t participate equitably. It’s about equity.”
Lisa Hill
So, what is the impact for tamariki if funding is reduced further? “I hate to think,” Deidre shakes her head. “If my hours reduce or whatever, well, let’s see what happens. If I ever got to the stage where I felt I wasn’t helping, I’d leave, but I love my job. The kids who have left and gone onto secondary school, they see you down the street and always come up and say hi.”
“At the moment our board funds a significant amount of teacher aide hours to enable all ākonga to be the best they can be,” Lisa says. “The Ministry has not kept up with the needs that continue to grow, and they don’t seem to hear the need. We have had so many reports but nothing changes!”
It seems black and white. If funding is decreased and teacher aide hours are lost, tamariki and their families don’t get the help they need and lose vital weeks, months and years of education and development.
“Most schools have to use their operational grant, because there’s never enough money,” Lisa says. “Take an ORS [Ongoing Resourcing Scheme] student who needs support 24/7 for example. They either get 10 or 14 hours, but kids are at school for 25 hours, and schools need to find that money.
“I love my job, but some days when I wake up in the morning, I think, what are they going to take away today? We lost an ORS student last year, so I had to let a TA go, because we could no longer fund the hours.”
There are many sources of funding, and the process is complex, meaning principals are often left to make tough decisions. An NZCER national survey in 2019 found that 68% of primary principals thought their teaching staff entitlements were inadequate. Almost all used their operational grants and locally raised funding to hire one or more additional teachers, mainly to take classes, support students with learning support needs, or provide literacy or numeracy support. Pūaotanga, an independent report published in 2021, explains why the model currently used to determine staffing levels in primary education is unfit for purpose.
Lisa says she’s aware teacher aides often hide their concerns from principals because principals are in a catch 22. “It’s a reflection on the funding.”
Twenty-six years is a long time. “Coming up 27, I think!” Deidre laughs. “I’ve seen lots of principals come and go over the years, oh maybe four or five. It’s a tough job, I take my hat off to them, I think they do amazing. It’s a small staff but we all get on. We’re like family.”
You could say at Avon School the kids are reaching for the moon and safe knowing if they miss, they’ll be landing amongst the teacher aide stars. As long as that funding comes through.
*Some names have been changed.
