Firsts for Education Union Leadership

Firsts for Education Union Leadership

Auckland school principal Frances Nelson will continue to lead the country’s largest education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa, after being elected President for an unprecedented third term.

NZEI has more than 49,000 members made up of school support staff, early childhood teachers, as well as teachers and principals from primary, intermediate and area schools around the country.

Ms Nelson was re-elected by delegates at NZEI’s Annual Meeting in Wellington.

She says she feels privileged to continue to lead the organisation through 2010 but recognises it won’t be without its challenges with the implementation of the new curriculum, the introduction of National Standards in schools, and government-signaled wage freezes.

In another first, NZEI has elected an early childhood teacher to the role of Vice President.

Judith Nowotarski, who is head teacher at Hawera Kindergarten in south Taranaki, has been on NZEI’s National Executive as an early childhood member for nine years.

Judith is passionate about quality early childhood education. She is also proud of the work done to strengthen the collective voice of early childhood teachers and to have their professional status recognised in the education sector. She takes up her new role at the beginning of next year.

ENDS

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