A principal says schools across the country are struggling to fill teaching roles.  

More than 400 principal and teaching roles are currently being advertised in the Education Gazette.  

In 2024 there were almost 1600 vacancies - a similar number to recent comparable years.  

Lumsden's Northern Southland College Principal Pete Wilkinson told Francesca Rudkin that traditionally, it's always been difficult to attract teachers to rural areas. 

But he says it's a nationwide problem now. 

Wilkinson says it's exceptionally hard to attract people into teaching and they have vacancies going unfilled for months, if not years. 

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