The Big Push Was a Big Success

Wow! The day after The Big Push I'm still buzzing. What a fantastic event. Hundreds and hundreds of people turned out, surpassing our expectations. The energy was amazing. Although it was most definitely a protest the march and rally had a really positive feel. Last minute changes had to be made to accommodate the huge crowd and and we had to make a dash for more sausages. The march and rally received great media coverage featuring on both TVNZ and TV3 news

We heard from parents, teachers, academics, employers and politicians who all had a common message - Our children deserve the best early childhood education we can give them. Funding 100% qualified teachers is an investment in our children's future. We presented the petition that you've worked so hard on - in the end 63,000 signatures. It's a shame no government MPs would front up to receive it.

There are many people to thank but I want to particularly acknowldge the march organising committee. These women spent many hours planning and promoting this event, on top of their teaching and family commitments. They can be very proud of what they have achieved.

There are a some great videos from The Big Push on the ECE together video page and more photos are coming soon.