The Harms Of The Severe Covid Response In Our Education System Continue

The video above is an excerpt of a recent conversation about USAID funding to Auckland University. I stumbled across information showing how the COVID response in the education sector may be being analysed to further control future ‘pandemics’. Link to the full conversation is at the end of this article.

The children of New Zealand have suffered irreparable harm over the last five years

Earlier this month (March 2025) was the five year mark when we first heard about the covid pandemic. Over this period, our children and youth have had their educational normality change dramatically.

On November 15 2021, our children had thousands of good educators and role models ripped away under the ‘vaccine mandate’. Some students were never told why their beloved teacher did not show up that next fateful day on when the mandates came into effect.

“An unknown number of school teachers, early childcare and other education staff have been farewelled today as the vaccination mandate kicks in.

No unvaccinated staff or volunteers are allowed on school or ECE grounds from tomorrow.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this afternoon that no schools were unable to open for learning as a result of the vaccine mandates but 11 were indicating they had a "high risk" of losing staff.” - NZ Herald, 15 November 2021

For many, it was just a gaping hole that was never explained and helped stoke their fear of abandonment even more.

Not only were kids subjected to a massive dose of fear about dying from this virus, and lockdowns, but they also suffered huge exposure to social media platforms, pushing the ‘single source of truth’, when schools were shut down for extended periods of time.

Recent news report in Ireland exposes damning findings.

In Ireland the media are now talking about this…
“Parents of children attending a special school in early 2020 were the most likely to feel that their child was negatively impacted by school closures, with 82% saying they believed it harmed their child’s social development.

“From the student’s side, three quarters of respondents (76%) who were in secondary school when covid-19 restrictions came into effect said it negatively impacted both their social development and their education.” - Irish Examiner, 12 March 2025

Fast forward to 2025, and the impact of covid is like a coldsore....it keeps cropping up time and again. Around eight thousand educators were forced out of employment from the education mandates, and many people were so emotionally traumatised that they did not return to the vocation they loved.

NZ now has a dire teacher shortage

Ironically, in 2025, schools have a need of around 1200 educators to keep functioning. This lack of teaching staff has been replaced in desperation by overseas staff, and in many cases, they are ill-equipped to understand the needs of our students, and in particular our vulnerable students.

As one of a few mandated educators to return, I witness on a daily basis the incompetence that will harm these students even more by teachers not fully comprehending the harms their old-fashioned bullying style teaching has on the individual students. Students need a calming presence, an educator who understands the New Zealand Curriculum, and who is able to form connections that will help young people navigate life positively.

Filling the gaps approach is causing more issues than it’s solving

It's sad to say that in many schools, the high turnover and the "filling of the gaps" by unqualified or unsuitable teachers are having a detrimental impact. Schools are now so desperate to hire anyone to be in front of a class, that the quality of teachers is declining.

The due process of firing 'bad teachers' is a long, drawn-out one that usually results in schools stuck with them. Unlike when just saying NO to a vaccination meant you were sacked. No questions asked, no thought to the implications on students and quality of education. No consideration of the quality and experience of outed teachers.

Schools needing ANYONE to look after a class have even called people out of well-deserved retirement as long-term relievers because it is impossible to staff. If you don't believe me, simply look at the Education Gazette or the newspapers.

Source: MOE Education Gazette Vacancies

Schools are scraping the barrel

Many schools are calling on LATs (Limited Authorities to Teach) filling in, as a way of stop-gapping this problem while they wait for whatever teacher they can find (often from a non-English speaking country) to take over.

These LAT teachers may have no experience in the education field at all, but may also be required to teach in higher risk subjects such as hard materials or food technology.

Example of a teaching position where a LAT will suffice.

Inconsistency and instability affects student achievement and engagement

Some students may end up with as many as two, three, or sometimes four different teachers in a year in the core subject of Math or English when it is clear our academic achievement rates in these areas are falling dramatically. As is student attendance. And we wonder why?

Instead, students get relievers after relievers who have to reset and start the management of the class or try to handle inadequate relief.

Source: The Facts NZ

All this leaves an impact on young, impressionable minds

For those educators who left and the ones still stuck in this failing system... something has got to give.

Those teachers at the coal face are at breaking point with extra duties and trying to be that person to placate the discontent and angry kids who, actually, want to learn!

Our young people should be given a quality education regardless of decile area (which has was replaced by ‘equity’ scores in 2023).

Instead, we have just excuses from the Ministry of Education and crickets from the very organisation that caused all of this in the first place.

Watch the full conversation which includes the video above, here…

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