The Advocate of the Year Award acknowledges an AEU member’s significant service in areas such as outstanding activism, campaigning, support for fellow members or workplace leadership.
Congratulations to Nick Maniatis a most deserving recipient of the Advocate of the Year Award.
Many of you here tonight have worked with Nick, or even had him as your teacher. You’ll know from this that Nick is often the smartest person in the room, but it is his emotional intelligence and empathy that sets him apart as an advocate for his colleagues and public education as a whole.
Sub-branch leaders navigate complicated terrain, and Nick has always set an example of how to do this work. He engenders trust from every direction: his sub-branch, the school’s executive and the AEU branch office. He always works collaboratively and with the utmost professionalism with school executive and the sub-branch to move forward together.
Nick has made significant contributions representing ACT public educators on the national stage. He navigates conversations around education with ease, seamlessly addressing matters impacting individuals and the system as a whole.
During his 25 years as a public educator, he has led sub-branches across Canberra, at times supporting colleagues through tragedy. Fellow teachers commend his advocacy for new educators, who find his guidance nurturing and empowering. Nick is a consistent warm presence in our Branch, speaking and acting with kindness and integrity. He is an unwavering unionist. He shows us all how to be better educators, better comrades, and better colleagues. In Nick we see a union leader who shows courage, care, and tireless dedication. We are all beneficiaries of his work.