Six years on…students still suffering, mandated-out teachers still persecuted

Toward the end of 2025, my colleague ‘across the ditch’, Michael Ginsburg at ActionableTruth.Media thoughtfully hosted an interview with myself and two Kiwi colleagues whom I greatly respect and trust: Deborah Cunliffe, Founder of the Nurses Collective NZ, and Kathryn Pick, fellow educationalist and member of NZTSOS, and (past) Principal of a New Zealand primary school. I want to update my readers about Kathryn’s situation following this biased article published yesterday in NZ legacy media, about Kathryn losing her fight to keep her teacher registration.

It’s been six years since the beginning of the covid era tyranny which for Kiwi schools meant draconian lockdowns, repeated testing and then ‘vaccine’ mandates. Students are still suffering the consequences of those harmful policies, for instance in mental health problems, reduced learning progress and family division. Professionals are still suffering too, through persecution, discrimination, employment blacklisting and bankruptcy. Please help raise awareness by sharing Kathryn’s story.

In our December interview, Kathryn, Debbie and I discussed with Michael many aspects of the NZ Covid era, in particular the Reports we had co-authored as Submissions to the NZ Royal Commission for the Covid Inquiry (“Lessons Learned”). These reports (see link below for Free Downloads) were based on qualitative and quantitative data from the members of the respective groups (Nurses and Teachers). You can listen/watch that interview here.

We have written a letter of support for Kathryn, which I publish below:

Letter of Support:

We are writing in support of Kathryn Pick, who has recently faced NZ Teaching Council disciplinary action relating to decisions made under the covid19 Public Health Response Orders. It is important that the full context is understood, particularly the pressures and responsibilities she carried as a fully qualified, highly experienced and much loved leader during an era presented as an unprecedented global public health emergency.

Throughout the covid era, Kathryn acted out of a genuine commitment to the well-being of her school community. The decisions she made were undoubtedly not made lightly, nor were actions taken with any intention to cause harm or create further difficulties for authorities. Rather, Kathryn was driven by the urgent and very real needs of vulnerable families — including those experiencing domestic violence, chronic disease, addictions, unstable housing, food insecurity, and other forms of hardship that were intensified by lockdowns, media messaging and isolation. For many whānau, the school where Kathryn was Principal, was their only safe and trusted point of contact. When families were already under immense strain, Kathryn did what she believed was necessary to ensure children were safe, supported, and not left without essential care. Her actions reflected compassion, not defiance; responsibility, not recklessness.

It is deeply concerning that a leader who acted in good faith, under rapidly changing and seemingly arbitrary rules, unclear guidance, and extraordinary pressure, has now been stood down and struck off. Kathryn is not alone. Hundreds, if not thousands of educators, healthcare and other vocational professionals have been similarly targeted and subjected to unfair discrimination, kangaroo court hearings and disciplinary measures as a result of questioning unsubstantiated instructions.

Like so many others, worldwide, the punitive response to Kathryn’s case is disrespectful and does not reflect the complexity of the situation nor the intent behind her decisions. It wrongly sends a message that community centred leadership, empathy, and proactive safeguarding of vulnerable children are liabilities rather than strengths. We respectfully ask that her case be reconsidered with full recognition of the extraordinary circumstances of the covid era policies, including the now widely acknowledged, extensive harm these policies caused, especially to children…

Six years later, some of the context of these policies has only recently become public knowledge, for instance through evidence submitted to various international covid public inquiries, academic research, court cases and US Congressional Hearings. The ambiguity and inconsistency of operational guidance at that time was global, and led by well-funded Behavioural Science Units that unethically manipulated media messaging. The urgent welfare needs of families in crisis were Kathryn’s priority because of her longstanding dedication for the safety and wellbeing of her students.

Kathryn now has substantial court fees to pay and is in the process of setting up a GiveSendGo page to help collect donations towards these costs. I will share this link with Kathryn’s story and more, next week.

Meanwhile, please comment below so that we can show Kathryn we support her battle against the tyranny…

Image credit: Getty Images

Republished with permission from the author’s website.