To Pay Teachers and Fund Education — Tax the Rich!

Primary and secondary school teachers went on a mega-strike in 2019 during negotiations in which the Labour Government refused to pay teachers properly, address the teacher shortage, reduce class sizes, and invest enough money into our education system. Four years later, the situation is eerily familiar.

Frustration with the government is even higher this time, and is compounded by the cost of living crisis that all workers are facing. Our teachers deserve better — as do our students, our parents, and our communities.

But the question is raised time and time again: why do teachers have to strike? Why is Labour, the self-styled party of workers, refusing once again to invest in the education of future generations, which is so crucial for a thriving society? Why has it once again come to this?

The answer presented to us is all too familiar. "There is not enough money." This is a lie.

Since their election in 2017, Labour have committed themselves to maintaining the low-tax, small government consensus that has reigned supreme in Aotearoa since 1984. In this vision of society, there is no money for teachers, nurses, or any other public sector workers to be paid properly. Education, healthcare, public transport and state housing must be continually squeezed to keep the tax "burden" down. And in the greatest betrayal of all for future generations: there is no money to prevent catastrophic climate change.

There is, however, an alternative.

In 2021, the top 10% of New Zealanders held over half of the country’s wealth. The top 5% held 37%, and the top 1% held 15.8%. Meanwhile, the bottom 50% of the country held just 6.7%. This is based on estimates which inequality expert Max Rashbrooke says may be wildly inaccurate; he told stuff.co.nz:

“[Rashbrooke] said there was a caveat in that the very richest people in the country refused to be part of surveys. The 1 per cent might in reality have more like 85 per cent of wealth than 20 per cent, he said.”

The wealthiest Kiwis hold far more than their fair share of the pie. They can afford to pay many times over. The government must make them pay.

Workers could be paid what they deserve, and education, healthcare and transport could all receive adequate funding, if we taxed the rich. We could end poverty, solve the housing crisis, do our bit to stop climate change, and end the era of extreme inequality.

If workers across the country stand together to demand fair pay, better public services and higher taxes on the rich, we can create a better society for all. But it will take political courage to confront the wealthy and powerful. The striking teachers are showing that courage. So did the school students who went on strike for the climate at the beginning of the month. The rest of us should follow their lead.

Another Aotearoa is possible.

Elliot Crossan is a socialist writer and activist. You can read his writing at Watermelon Media