Schools need far more certainty to plan for the worsening fuel crisis than what the Government announced today, says Chris Abercrombie, PPTA Te Wehengarua president.

“The Prime Minister claimed to be ‘doing everything we can’ to maintain on-site teaching and learning in schools as the fuel crisis mounts, but for most secondary schools today’s announcement does nothing to address the financial pressures identified in our report Secondary teachers’ and students’ travel to school in the context of rising fuel costs.

“Secondary schools are massive operations. The moves being announced to support 70 schools to move away from diesel boilers follow through on commitments made by the previous Government and it’s good to see that happening. We look forward to confirmation of the timing for the diesel boiler replacements and whether this will occur before winter hits in earnest.”

Chris Abercrombie said measures to support relief teachers and the small group of students receiving transport assistance will be welcomed by those groups.

“Increasing the mileage rates for relief teachers is welcome, but what’s not welcome is the fact that secondary schools will have to pay the new rates out of their already stretched operational funding. This is not helpful and will simply add to schools’ financial pressures.

“We need more certainty, planning and a bigger picture response.”

Four key things that need to be addressed are:

• General and immediate increases of the 2026 Operational Grant increases for all schools who are having to absorb the internal school operating cost increases for normal operations and these reliever rate increases. It is worth noting, too, that a lot of schools’ attendance support initiatives rely on transport.
• Supporting and resourcing an increase in the capacity of school buses, to enable students to take the bus instead of travelling by car – currently more than 40% of secondary students in almost every part of Aotearoa New Zealand travel to and from school by private motor vehicle.
• Additional measures to address the significant number of students who travel by car, and for whom bus options are either unavailable or not viable.
• Confirmation of teachers as ‘essential workers’ whose fuel supply and costs will be supported by the Government if they are asked to continue to travel to work as other working people shift to working from home.

“We have given our report to Government officials. They have the information, now they need to respond to it.”

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