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'92 Northland classrooms without teachers' - survey reveals

A new survey has revealed 92 Northland classrooms went without a teacher in the last week of May, and one Northland principal says the findings are shocking.

Every day of the week, there are a vast amount of classrooms throughout Northland that have no teachers.

"Ninety-two teachers, we were unable to provide a reliever for their classrooms. So, that's 92 classrooms of between 20-30 students that we could not find a reliever for," says Leanne Otene, principal of Manaia View Primary School in Whangārei.

The findings are part of a survey conducted by the Tai Tokerau Principal's Association across 80 schools in the region, with more than 1,500 primary and secondary school students involved.

While the results have highlighted that Northland classrooms are going without teachers, it's also shown class sizes are ballooning dramatically in response.

"Teacher shortage extends from just your filling vacancies to actually just now we've actually got a critical problem with our relieving pool," says Otene.

Currently, there are 19 full-time teaching vacancies across Northland, one of the highest regional rates nationwide. Educationalists say those feeling the teacher shortage the most are kura kaupapa Māori, through a simple lack of qualified reo Māori speaking teachers in the profession.

"I've got a rumaki reo in my school, and I have two teachers who are fluent. Now, if either of those two are away, I haven't got anyone I can call on to relieve in those rooms," she says.

The findings come just a week after 50,000 teachers took strike action. The Te Tai Tokerau Principals' Association says the figures will now be handed on to the Minister of Education, Chris Hipkins.

"Well, we'll certainly be sending them to him. You know, it's important that people know just what sort of problems we have up here in Northland and the extent of the shortage," says Otene.

However, for now, Northland principals and teachers alike say they will just have to make do.

"We're all scrambling as principals, were ringing each other going 'have you got a name, have you got a number?' and then you'll get that name and number, ring it and you'll find 'oh look, sorry, I'm already working on that day."

The hope is that the 92 classrooms affected in the North get exactly what they deserve - teachers.