Successful Campaigns

As you may have heard by now Massey University has cancelled the 'Feminism 2020' event! (Massey University cancels 'Feminism 2020' event, 16 Oct https://bit.ly/35Qqs6i) Last week we delievered our petition of 6,000 signatures to the Massey Senior Leadership Team. Being able to have a conversation with our community completely changed the way they were viewing the event and framing the discussion around this hate speech. If you want to write to Massey and thank them for eventually coming around and making the right descision (and to ask them to continue to actively show support for the trans community) you can write to acting VC Giselle Byrnes at: G.Byrnes@massey.ac.nz Thank you for signing the petition and standing with our trans community, when we stand together we can make change. 

15 May 2018: It's been announced this morning that funding has been restored for the 'Growing Up in NZ Study', the biggest longitudinal study about growing up in NZ. Katie Tuck is a parent of one of the children on the study who led a community campaign on OurActionStation to restore the funding. She says: "This is fantastic news as this means that all study families will have the chance to participate, we will get to hear the voices of all the study children and the cohort is maintained. Thank you all for your support." https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/103901353/budget-2018-2m-for-nzs-biggest-longtitudinal-study-about-growing-up-in-nz

The Government has announced Mates and Dates, a healthy relationships course for secondary school students, will be rolled out nationwide with funding of $18 million provided to make sure it expands to reach 180,000 students, up from 37,000 young people. Last year over 5,000 of us got behind Lauren and Ruby’s call for better sex education in schools, especially around consent. They asked that Mates and Dates be introduced into all high schools in New Zealand. The programme consists of five hour-long sessions on healthy relationships, consent, gender and identity, what to do when things go wrong, and how to keep safe. Read more https://bit.ly/2oq8Ppo

12 November: We have a recommendation going from the Waikato Regional Council's Regional Connections Committee, to full Council, to pay the Living Wage for the bus drivers with the potential for it to be added into procurement policy!

Manawatu District Council met this morning, 20 May. The motion to revoke the previous decision was passed, and the follow up motion to establish a Maori ward now, in time for the 2022 election, was also passed, 8-3. Hooray!

May 2021: Great news, we won! After hearing from yourselves, and many others, the select committee has decided not to move ahead with pursuing this piece of legislation. Thank you so much for all your support, for signing, for talking about the campaign, for sharing the petition, for caring enough to get involved. You have made a difference in the fight for a more just, inclusive, and compassion Aotearoa.

July 2020: After more than 5000 people signed the petition in less than a week, Evolve backed down and withdrew unfair and unlawful contracts that would have halved ECE teachers’ pay. What’s more, the company pledged to actually pass on a 2.3% funding increase from the Government to improve teacher pay to the teachers! We will need to monitor this closely to make sure it happens... but I’m so proud of the brave teachers at Evolve who had the courage to stand up collectively with their union and win this fight — with your support. If you’d like to get updates on the campaign for fair pay for ECE teachers, join the campaign at www.ecevoice.org. Thanks! Ngā mihi Virginia Oakly ECE representative on NZEI Te Riu National Executive

July 2020: We won! The Education and Workforce Select Committee launched an inquiry :)

June 2020 To all supporters of the Save Playcentre petition Hopefully those of you who backed the Playcentre petition will have seen the Government announcement today of an urgent funding boost. Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin is making $3.7 million available for Playcentre Aotearoa as well as a further $500,000 to deal with our property issues. This will allow us to offset our deficit, save a lot of Playcentres from closing and means we have some certainty to plan for our future. More than 16,000 people signed the petition and I and all our Playcentre whānau are most appreciative of that support. It was really special to read all the many thoughtful comments a lot of you the took time to make. It was a great insight into why you were signing the petition and to see what Playcentre means and has meant to so many New Zealand families over the past 79 years. The overwhelming message was that Playcentre is valued and must not be lost. In my meeting with Minister Martin I was able to present many of those comments to her. Thank you again for all your support. Sean McKinley General Manager Playcentre Aotearoa

The petition had the desired effect of causing the Board to take the approach they should have taken in the first place. Once Martine got the chance to get in front of them in open session, she was in her element and she did the rest.