LIST MP HEKIA PARATA based in Mana - Speech

Speech House Debate: Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders’ Forum

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:25:38 +1200

Mr Speaker, we are joined today in the House by a number of special guests, the delegates attending the inaugural Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders’ Forum. I would like to extend a very warm Aotearoa New Zealand welcome to each of them.

In particular, I welcome the Pacific Ministers here with us today. With your busy schedules and various domestic pressures, it’s a great honour for New Zealand to host you, as your cousins in the Pacific.

I also acknowledge the other members of the delegation - you represent the leaders and decision makers of tomorrow. It is a privilege to have you here, and I look forward, together with our Members of Parliament, to meeting many of you over the coming days.

I would also like to acknowledge the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Select Committee who in 2010 unanimously recommended to the House this interaction between our Pacific parliaments. I would like to congratulate my colleague, John Hayes MP as chair of the Committee for the work he has led to bring the original recommendation to fruition. And to all those who have helped – ngā mihi nui.

Mr Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my colleagues across the House who are of Pacific descent and whose presence here adds richness not only to their respective parties and communities, but to our Parliament as a whole.

Cultural and economic links
Mr Speaker, the Pacific is a key priority for the National-led Government, as it has been for successive New Zealand Governments over many decades.

We are a Pacific nation. First and foremost we are united by the great ocean Te Moananui-a-Kiwa that joins us and that is central to understanding our history, culture, and world view.

Cultural links
Culturally, New Zealand owes much to other Pacific nations. Around 7% of New Zealanders are of Pasifika origin. At the time of the 2006 census, New Zealand’s population included some 58,000 Cook Islanders, 22,500 Niueans, 6,900 Tokelauans, 131,000 Samoans 50,000 Tongans, 9,900 Fijians, 8,900 other Pacific peoples.

In the cases of the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau, - with whom we share particular constitutional relationships - the New Zealand based populations are significantly higher than those based in their home countries. All of these Pacific peoples add to the social and economic fabric of this great country, and we are richer for their presence.

The many ties which link New Zealand across the Pacific make the fate of other Pacific island countries a matter of personal interest to many New Zealanders.

Not least because of the significant contributions that Pasifika people make [whether Pacific or New Zealand-born] to the strength of our economy, the dynamism of our communities, and the richness of our culture.

Pacific Island nations have gifted us – and pushed out boundaries in - art, literature, dance, music, film, fashion; experts in health, education, finance, the economy; leaders and politicians at community, local and central government; and of course sport in every arena.

New Zealand’s universities, hospitals, art galleries, government agencies, schools, businesses, and Parliament, have much to be thankful for in terms of the contribution made by our Pacific communities - all wrapped and delivered through language, identity and culture. And long may it continue.

Economic links
Mr Speaker, economically, our exports to Pacific Island countries total nearly $1 billion. The region, considered in its entirety, represents New Zealand’s seventh largest export market and twentieth largest trading block. Trade with the region has grown more than 30% in the last 10 years, and our exports have grown by 50%. New Zealand industry is working hard to provide the goods and services the economies of the Pacific need.

At the same time, demand in New Zealand for Pacific goods, and particularly Pacific agricultural products is on the rise too. Imports in this sector have nearly doubled since 2000, and are expanding to include a greater range of quality products. Moving forward, Pacific engagement in PACER Plus negotiations will strengthen economic relationships, and enhance regional capacity for trade.

NZ’s Foreign Policy Priorities in the Pacific
Mr Speaker, this Government has an absolute focus on, and commitment to, supporting Pacific countries, and New Zealand’s Pacific communities, in achieving their development aspirations.

Not only are we committed to working with our Pacific partners to achieve success, our results tell us we are making a real and meaningful difference in people’s lives.

The most readily visible demonstration of this Government’s commitment to the Pacific is that we spend more than half of our annual overseas development budget, more than $250 million, in the Pacific.

Every day, staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are working alongside their Pacific counterparts to deliver programmes that will assist Pacific countries improve their economic performance and support them to achieve sustainable economic growth.

Key recent successes that serve as examples of the progress being achieved by the Government include:

Renewable energy
The Pacific Energy Summit, held in Auckland last month, underlined the commitment New Zealand has made to working with the Pacific to assist in channelling international funding to areas of greatest need.

Over 600 delegates attended the Summit, including eight Prime Ministers, three Presidents and 75 CEOs. A key outcome of the Summit included securing donor commitments of $635 million to advance renewable energy projects across the Pacific.

In addition to working with developed partners to secure and channel development assistance, New Zealand announced $65 million of funding to assist Pacific Island countries realise their renewable energy and energy efficiency plans. Support was announced for the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu.

Fisheries
The Pacific tuna stock represents the Pacific region’s greatest shared resource. It continues to be a main source of income in the Pacific – contributing US$260 million to combined gross domestic product (GDP), and providing over 13,000 jobs to Pacific Island people.

During the 2012 Pacific Islands Forum, Prime Minister Key announced New Zealand would invest additional funding into fisheries support programmes, bringing our total commitment over the next four years to $50 million.

Our support is aimed at upgrading the Pacific’s fisheries training institutions, fostering seafood business enterprise development, helping people in the industry gain formal globally-recognised qualifications, and up-skilling fisheries officials in areas like international commerce and investment appraisal. These are all areas that have been identified as priorities by Pacific Island countries and match the particular expertise held by New Zealand industry.

Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme
The RSE Scheme is helping to address seasonal labour and skill shortages in the horticulture and viticulture industries that cannot be filled from the available New Zealand labour pool.

For the last three years, between 6,000 and 7,000 RSE workers have arrived in New Zealand annually, around 75% of whom are from Pacific Island countries.

The scheme is a win/win for the New Zealand horticultural industry and Pacific sending countries. Industry is receiving the critical workforce required to improve results while Pacific Island workers are receiving training and solid economic returns. The scheme is delivering $25 million annually in take-home earnings.

Mr Speaker, these are but three examples of the way in which this Government is working with our Pacific neighbours to deliver tangible results that are of benefit to the entire region.

Mr Speaker, in addition to the important work we are doing abroad, the Government is also committed to improving the lives of the more than 280,000 Pacific people in New Zealand. To do so we are focusing on three areas; education, Pacific languages, and work skills.

Education
It is a great honour to me, and a wonderful opportunity to hold both the Pacific Island Affairs and Education portfolios. As Minister I have been able to ensure that our three priorities are education, education, education! 1) quality early pre-school learning; 2) achieving national standards at primary school; 3) securing NCEA2 at secondary school before going on into meaningful work choices.

We have had some encouraging results over the last year with the final NCEA Level 2 results for 16 year olds announced yesterday.

We have seen a 3.5 per cent increase for our Pasifika young people.

And we will continue to do what it takes to raise achievement for all our Pasifika students.

Quality education is an important catalyst to improving outcomes for Pacific people across the board and it is one of our Government’s top priorities.

In November 2012, I launched the Pasifika Education Plan 2013-17. The Plan covers all levels of education from early childhood to compulsory and tertiary level. It targets improving early learning for Pacific children, raising national standards, and improving Pacific students’ NCEA level 2 achievement.

There is strong evidence to show that participation in quality early learning improves future educational outcomes. For this reason there is a strong focus on getting more Pacific children participating in pre-school options.

Earlier this month I announced that the provisional data for Pasifika children for this year shows that the participation rate increased by 1.9 per cent to around 88 per cent, or 6,700 (of the 7,600) children, who started this year. Or about 250 more kids than last year. This is very encouraging. But there is much more to do.

Pacific languages
The Government also puts a strong emphasis on supporting communities to preserve and promote Pacific languages. We are supporting a growing number of Pacific Language Weeks. 2012 saw the largest number of Language Weeks yet as we celebrated the inaugural Cook Islands Māori, Tokelauan and Niuean language weeks as well as Samoan and Tongan Language Weeks.

Pacific Language Weeks provide an opportunity for Pacific communities to share, celebrate and educate others about their language and culture. We consider the preservation and promotion of Pacific languages is an enabler of social, economic and educational achievement. They are also a tangible demonstration of the Government’s commitment to follow the leadership of Pacific language communities to reverse the decline of heritage languages and support their unique cultures.

Work skills
Pacific young people already make up a significant proportion of New Zealand’s future workforce. Supporting young Pacific people once they have left compulsory education is another priority for us.

Ensuring successful transition from education to employment means young Pacific people have the opportunity to contribute positively to New Zealand’s economic growth and to while creating a better life for themselves and their aiga.

The Pasifika Trades Training initiative has been developed by government agencies to attract Pasifika students into trades training to support the Canterbury rebuild. The initiative has been well supported in the community. Pacific church leaders across the country have helped to mobilise over 300 young Pacific people who were awarded trade scholarships.

Many of these young people have now completed their first year of training and are in Christchurch working on the rebuild. These young people have learnt new skills which will set them up for a career in the trades.

These are just some of the initiatives that will support young Pacific people into employment and training. We will be putting more focus and resource into this priority area in the near future.

Supporting Pacific democracy
Mr Speaker, before closing I would like to touch briefly on the issue of democracy, a key theme of the upcoming Pacific Parliament.

One of the values we share with our Pacific neighbours is a commitment to parliamentary democracy. In the Pacific context different states have devised their own ways to shape and scale the democratic model and style to suit their situation. New Zealand is proud to stand by our Pacific partners and actively support the functioning of democracy in the Pacific.

For example, New Zealand frequently contributes observers and logistics assistance to Pacific countries holding elections. This was done last year in Papua New Guinea when New Zealand provided three RNZAF helicopters to help deliver ballot boxes to the most remote parts of the country. This helped ensure that all Papua New Guineans had the opportunity to cast their vote.

Supporting democracy was also a primary driver behind New Zealand’s significant contribution to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). This mission has been a great Pacific success and has included personnel from many Pacific nations. RAMSI has enabled the people and government of the Solomon Islands to continue in their democratic traditions, free from destabilising forces and security threats.

New Zealand is, and will remain, a committed supporter of the Pacific’s democratic traditions, and I have no doubt we will remain ready to support Pacific countries as and when our assistance is requested.

Mr Speaker, it would be unconscionable however, not to raise the issue of the low representation of Pacific women in their parliaments. Just as ours in New Zealand has been the better for the strong participation by women Members of Parliament, so too will the parliaments of the Pacific island nations. We should all work towards that goal.

Conclusion
Mr Speaker, I would again like to thank our distinguished guests for their attendance at the inaugural Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders’ Forum. [Address the delegates] We want you to know that we are committed to working with you, as our Pacific partners, to improve the lives of people throughout the Pacific. We are also committed to working to improve the lives of our Pacific Community here in New Zealand.

This Government is mindful of New Zealand’s place as a Pacific country. We are honouring that by working to build a brighter Pacific future in which all Pacific people can share.

Speech to Auckland Principals Association in Taupō

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:11:26 +1200

Tēnā koutou katoa, Talofa lava, Kia orana, Mālō e lelei, Ni sa bula vinaka, Taloha ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, and greetings to you all.

Good morning everyone. Thanks for inviting me to be a part of your conference again this year.

As principals, you have a vital role to play as leaders of our education sector, and I’d like to thank you all for your hard work and dedication.

Your conference topic is “All about Auckland”, so let’s take a look at the challenges facing Auckland, and what that means for the challenges of delivering education.

Challenges to Auckland

Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city, and with an estimated population of 1.5 million people, it’s home to a third of all New Zealand’s residents.

Auckland is growing, and quickly; Auckland Council is projecting that, by 2041, the city’s population will have reached 2.5 million. This is a faster growth rate than the country as a whole.

Auckland’s population is young – with a median age of 34, compared to 37 nationally. Parts of the city, particularly in the south, have high concentrations of children and young people.

Auckland is also the most ethnically diverse region in New Zealand, with people from more than 180 different ethnic backgrounds. Almost 40% of Aucklanders were not born in New Zealand.

Auckland is also home to New Zealand’s largest Māori and Pacific Island populations – reflecting the title it has as the “biggest Polynesian city in the world”. This is a predominantly youthful population, with almost half under the age of 20.

Plus, over a third of all New Zealand’s students are located in Auckland.

So Auckland is a big city, with a lot of students, and a population that is younger, more diverse and growing at a much faster rate than the rest of New Zealand.

It is a city that the rest of New Zealand needs to be successful because what happens in Auckland economically, socially, culturally impacts upon the rest of the country. It is in all our interests that those impacts are positive.

Education with its transformative potential is one of the keys to that success. How well our kids learn, achieve, and succeed is the measure of that success. Successful contributing young New Zealanders grow the potential of our country; disengaged, dislocated, disappointed young folk don’t. We do not have a generation to waste.

Ours is a small country, physically distant from our markets, rich in natural resources, peopled by adventurers, navigators, with a can-do culture, traders by tradition. How we think, imagine, create and innovate is one of the biggest resources a small nation can develop and trade upon.

Education is the catalyst and the crucible – how you as professional leaders and pedagogical experts create the conditions for quality teaching and learning matters at the level of the individual student all the way through to the health and wealth of a nation.

Nowhere is that more pressing than Auckland. It is our economic power house, our largest collection of communities, with the biggest social and cultural capital and the opportunities are huge. And exciting.

These are the overarching challenges facing Auckland, reflected in smaller dimension in Christchurch and Wellington and matched by the energy and vigour of our provinces.

They are also the challenges facing our education system.

We have the architecture of a world leading education system, and the performance of a world class education system. This has not happened by accident and nor will it continue without attention.

Generations of education professionals such as yourselves have been the designers, developers, contributors who have made this possible.

We have a national curriculum and marautanga that combine the strength of being competency based with the permissiveness to develop meaningful, relevant, local curriculum capable of reflecting the language, culture and identity of the diversity of your rolls.

We have assessment models of national standards and national certificates of educational achievement that ensure consistency of quality without uniformity of content, and that are flexible and responsive to the student.

We have an assessment and evaluation process based on high trust, the integrity and professionalism of teachers and principals.

We have a national qualifications framework that anticipates that everyone can be educationally successful at any time in their life. And that does not rely on someone else failing.

We have a best evidence synthesis that uses information, research, nationally and internationally to inform best practice.

We have the largest democratic practice in the country that engages parents in the direct management and influence of our schools through our boards of trustees.

We have high quality professionals who lead and teach, who engage and inspire, explore and demand, push and cajole, who cause learning to occur, for students up and down the length and breadth of our country.

We do indeed have the infrastructure of a world class education system. It is top performing for most but not for all. That is our challenge and our obligation.

We must ensure that every part of our education system is doing the best that it can in its part of the sector. We cannot simply relocate the difficulties to the next part of the system.

At early childhood we must ensure that our infants and toddlers are sociable, engaged, ready to learn.

At primary and intermediate we must build a strong, general foundation for learning through a rich programme of cross-curriculum and co-curricula activity embedded with literacy and numeracy.

At secondary we must deliver pathways for educational achievement that can be reflected in a national certificate at level 2 as a minimum.

And in the secondary tertiary transition we must give young people choices that set them off on real and meaningful options for further education, training, or employment.

You know how serious our Government is about this. We have set three Better Public Service targets for education, almost a third of our 10 targets representing how important education is.

And it’s your responsibility, as principals, to make sure that your school, and your curriculum, can not only anticipate, but meet these challenges.

We expect a lot from principals. We expect you to provide strong leadership that puts the student at the centre of teaching and learning, and wraps the schools’ practices and processes around them.

We expect leadership that draws on, and values the cultures, identities, and languages of all students, but particularly those that are systematically falling below or out of our system, too many of whom are Māori and Pasifika students.

And we expect you, as leaders, to be constantly engaging with your students, staff, parents, families, whānau, aiga, Boards of trustees, and the wider community.

The Government strongly believes that reliable and valid information about student progress and achievement is fundamental to the drive to improve the education system, and to inform both parents and decisions about how and where assistance should be targeted.

That is why it is important that we have documents like charters and annual reports available to parents. Charters enable you to set real, attainable goals and targets, to raise learning achievement.

And annual reports allow you to review the targets that were set, against what has actually been attained.

Charters and annual reports will ensure that raising student achievement, in the best, most focused way possible, is always at the forefront of your minds. And they are ways of consistently informing and engaging with parents about what is happening and how they can support their child and their school.

National Standards data contributes to a range of other information available to schools, in the context of school-review.

We have published your National Standards data alongside Education Review Office reports, schools’ annual reports and NCEA records on our Education Counts website.

Together, this information provides a rich and comprehensive body of Public Achievement Information (PAI).

This will give both you and your parents, together with the Ministry, a clear picture of what has been accomplished, what is achievable, and what next we need to do.

It will help you to decide what needs to happen in the context of school planning, teacher appraisal and professional learning and development.

It will allow you as school leaders, and your boards, to see how your students are progressing in relation to other schools, and compared to national expectations.

And it will allow parents, whānau and the community to see clearly, and unequivocally, how their children are progressing and achieving in their learning.

Involving parents and communities in their learning

The work that we are doing to lift achievement in our system is not possible without the help and support of parents, whānau and wider communities. We need to work for, and with, all these people, as no one group can achieve the necessary shift alone.

21st Century Learning Environments

We have over 760,000 students in primary and secondary education. We need to ensure that we get it right for every single one.

A primary and secondary education system that provides access to high-quality, modern learning environments that embrace new technology and digital literacy.

Investing in the right infrastructure gives teachers and students the platform on which to build innovation, share knowledge, and engage with learning in new ways.

I am delighted to have been joined in this endeavour by my associate Minister of Education, Nikki Kaye – an Aucklander! She is a smart, energetic, capable digital native absolutely committed to our vision of equipping our young people with the skills, values, knowledge – and tools – to successfully navigate the challenges of 21st century learning and living.

As you know our Government is investing $1.5 billion in the roll out of ultrafast broadband infrastructure across New Zealand. Together with Minister of ICT, Amy Adams, we are committed to speeding up the connection of schools.

We expect three main benefits from ultrafast broadband as it is rolled-out to schools. It will:
•    support effective teaching and learning
•    enable more efficient school administration, and
•    provide better value for money for schools, as it will allow internet content and services to be procured centrally.

It’s going to be the biggest of its kind in New Zealand, with potentially up to 2,500 schools and up to 800,000 users reaping the benefits of being joined to a managed network.

It will allow us to change how students access and engage in learning. And it will challenge principals and teachers to keep up!

With access to digital networks, appropriate ICT tools and the skills and knowledge to use these effectively, learning can be done anywhere, anytime, with anyone.

It will put young New Zealanders at the very centre of learning.

Effective integration of digital technology with teaching can significantly improve educational success, particularly for previously disengaged and underperforming students.

Digital literacy is an increasingly important skill in the modern world. With the right policies and environment, we have an opportunity to help the next generation of New Zealanders become the most digitally literate in the world.

Concluding Remarks

Across the education system, we are taking action to make it work for all of our students. But it cannot, will not, and should not work without you.

You are the pivotal part of a world class system that must continue to transform to remain at the top. This is not an easy role you have. But I respect and support your professional leadership and your pedagogical and management abilities.

As with every generation of educationalists there are challenges. But there are also opportunities. And there is the excitement of nation-building.

Before I leave, I thought it would be useful to put some context around some issues that arise from time and time.

I want to do some myth-busting.

Myth: Christchurch is the model for change of school networks in other parts of the country

The reality: There may be parts of the Christchurch education rebuild that the rest of the country would benefit from. Notably the collaboration of learning communities whether cross-sectoral such as technology or te reo Māori provision, or whole of sector neighbourhood provision from early childhood to secondary; or co-location of ancillary health and social services; or planned and shared civic amenities such as libraries and swimming pools and green spaces.

There are other parts that will not because Christchurch had a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on 4 September 2010; and the Canterbury region has since experienced more than 11,000 earthquakes and aftershocks.

The circumstances that led to a review of the schools network in Christchurch were very specific and we would not want to see those circumstances repeated.

There are no network reviews planned or on the books as it were. That does not mean that there will not be school closures.

The process of individual schools closing when there are capacity or performance issues, and there are more sustainable alternative options will continue where it is warranted. The Ministry will be looking at how to continue to improve the processes surrounding these.

There are around a hundred and fifty fewer schools in New Zealand than there were in 2000. Most of these closures took place before 2005.

The reality is that there are fewer young people than there were due to demographic change. Shifts in the structure and location of the population will continue and we will need to manage schools and access to schools to keep pace with this change.

Christchurch Statistics

There were already about 5,000 places available in greater Christchurch schools before the earthquakes, a further 4,300 students have not re-enrolled, meaning there are now 9,300 places available – that’s roughly equivalent to the entire student population of Gisborne.

Just like we won’t rebuild the CBD exactly the same, the schooling network needs to adapt to the changes in Canterbury.

More than 80 per cent, or 177 of the 215 schools in greater Christchurch, are not affected by the Government’s proposals for greater Christchurch schools.

The rebuild has provided us with an opportunity to have a look at all the schools across greater Christchurch and see what we could do better.

A number of factors have been looked at when making decisions about schools, including earthquake damage, declining rolls, population movement and future growth, building issues, school locations, and what opportunities there are to create better, more modern schools, and grow achievement for five out of five kids.

We have a chance to build brighter, more modern schools in better locations, with great new facilities, and to ensure all children are getting access to good, quality education within a close distance of where they live.

Myth:     The Government is introducing “Performance Pay”

The Government is simply interested in strengthening performance. We know that high quality teaching and strong professional leadership are crucial elements of a successful learning environment.

Our approach is to provide clear expectations around the outcomes we think the system is capable of achieving and strengthening and supporting the profession to achieve these.

While performance pay has and should be discussed as we seek ways to constantly improve our system there is no proposal at this time. However it is worth noting that the use of management units in schools, worth on average $4000 each, is indeed a way of rewarding performance.

There is a misinformed or mischievous view that the implementation of the Progression and Consistency Tool, PaCT, to assist with improving Overall teacher Judgements in relation to National Standards is intended to create the conditions for performance pay.

The reality is that the Government has implemented National Standards so that teachers and parents can have the best information available to them on student achievement through the education system, rather than in the last years of schooling when it may be too late to improve.

PaCT is being developed to help standardise and make consistent the exercise of making objective teacher judgements. This same kind of moderation process that has seen NCEA quality raise to the high standard it is and the international respect it garners.

Myth:    The Government has an agenda to progressively privatise education in New Zealand

The only agenda the Government has is to improve the quality of teaching and raise achievement for 5 out of 5 kids in whatever kind of school parents choose to send their kids.
There are around 2,500 schools in New Zealand and the vast majority of those are State school including about 11 per cent that are integrated schools. Less than 4 per cent are independent, or private, schools.

Parents who choose to send their children to independent schools both pay taxes that fund state schools and pay the bulk of the schooling costs at the independent school.

Since 2008, this Government has integrated into the state system, around about the same number of private schools as happened under the previous administration. There are significantly fewer private schools now, than there were in 2000. That is unfortunate given the tension to raise performance that different schools create.

New Zealand has a system of diverse schooling options. The Government is seeking to introduce a small number of partnership schools to add to the mix of schooling options.

These partnership schools will be contracted for outcomes and are funded on the same basis as other schools.

There will be no compulsion for any parent to send their child, no fees will be imposed, and no child can be turned away up to the roll cap.

A partnership school can be closed if it does not meet its performance expectations.

Myth – The Government intends to increase competition between schools

The reality: Our Government is interested in increasing the publicly available information on education performance by schools that are public institutions, publicly funded.

The competition that exists between schools is based on roll entitlements which are part of our system. Even so that does not, nor should it preclude collaboration that will see better use of resources, and best practice becoming common practice.

Myth - Schools are Underfunded

The reality - New Zealand is in the top five countries [of the 65 countries measured by the OECD] for the investment we make in education as a proportion of GDP. Our investment in schools is the largest part of the investment in education. 89% of Vote Education in 2012/13 is non-discretionary.

That means that it is committed to school staffing, school property, school transport and early childhood education subsidies primarily. In broad terms, for every $5 education dollars $2 go on salaries; $1 on property; $1 on operations; and $1 on extra resourcing such as professional learning and development.

Schools get their funding by way of the operational grant. They make the key decisions over how they expend that.

Over the last decade the government has made adjustments to schools operational costs over and above the costs of inflation.

Myth:    There’s nothing wrong with the education system we have

The reality: Recent data indicates that we are not making the gains comparatively with other countries that we can and should make. New Zealand has made significant gains ranked [in 2009] seventh internationally in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) reading and literacy proficiency levels at Year 11. However, while Pakeha were ranked second of the 65 countries. , Maori were 34th equal and Pacific students were ranked 44th.

In TiMMS and PIRLS – international studies at primary school level, Years 5 and 8 - there are worrying signs of decline in both numeracy and literacy, and science education.

We are aiming to get 85 per cent of primary and intermediate school students at, or above, the national standards by 2017. At the moment 76 per cent of children reached or exceeded the national standard for reading, 72 per cent of children for mathematics, and 68 per cent for writing. So, on average and indicative only out of first year reporting, 70 per cent at or above, 30 per cent below and well below.

Myth:    The Government is taking away schools power in Search and Retention - The Education Amendment Bill

No, the Bill aims to ensure schools can maintain a safe environment for kids, by setting out surrender and retention powers for schools.

The Education and Science Select Committee is about to make its recommendations and I anticipate that those will reflect the interests of the sector.

The Ministry will work with a group of education sector representatives on new rules and guidelines relating to the exercise of surrender and retention powers in schools that will complement Police guidelines.

Myth:    The Government is targeting Partnership Schools / Kura Hourua to be the models of all NZ schools

The reality: No. Partnership Schools│Kura Hourua will play their part in meeting our target of five out of five students achieving success in education. They will be established in areas where kids are currently underserved by the existing education system.

A key feature of Partnership Schools is the greater flexibility given to sponsors (the organisations that will govern Partnership Schools) in the operation of the school, including how they manage their funding. This will enable sponsors to use different approaches to teaching and learning, property and school organisation.

Appropriate and robust accountability measures will be critical to the success of Partnership Schools. Partnership Schools will have a fixed-term funding contract with the Crown that will include specific school-level targets and they will be required to report on an annual basis against these.

They will also be required to report regularly to parents on the progress of their students.

I expect these schools to have strong leadership and vision, and to be held to account for raising achievement through innovative programmes that effectively engage their students.

Applications for sponsorship of Partnership Schools are currently being accepted, and will close on 16 April 2013.

An Authorisation Board has been appointed, which will provide advice and recommendations on which applications should be considered for contracts. These appointments are provisional until the passage of the Education Amendment Bill 2012.

No final decisions will be made, or contracts entered into, until the enabling legislation is passed.

All engagement with potential sponsors will be on the grounds that Partnership Schools are subject to the will of Parliament and the passing of legislation.

Thank you once again for your time.

Speech Notes: Raising achievement for all in Budget 2012

nospam@example.com (admin) — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:30:02 +1200

I’m here today to talk about our education plan. Education is a subject that’s dear to my heart and head - and indeed yours, as future employers and business associates of the generation of young New Zealanders who are coming through our education system today.

I’ve been around the education sector for many years and as you know I have been the Education Minister for five months. I’m passionate about education and what a good education can do for our young people.

We have an education system that is among the best in the world. It gives our students a platform to compete here at home and internationally. Four out of five kids are successfully getting the qualifications they need from school and we must celebrate their success and the professionals in our system who make that possible every day.

But our Government’s education plan is about getting five out of five.

Continue reading "Speech Notes: Raising achievement for all in Budget 2012"

Speech Notes: Official Opening of the Ngati Hine Health Trust Early Education Centre, Kawakawa.

nospam@example.com (admin) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:36:13 +1300

• E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā hau e whā. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa

• Good afternoon everyone, I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the official opening of the Ngāti Hine Health Trust Early Childhood Centre.

• I would like to acknowledge my colleague Hon Dr. Pita Sharples, Mayor Wayne Brown, Councillor Sally McCauley, Chief Executive Officer Ngati Hine Health Trust Rob Cooper, Trustee Atarangi Norman, Board Chair Gwen Tepania-Palmer, Board Member Johnson Davis, kaumatua, kuia, teachers, parents, tamariki and members of the community - thank you for your warm welcome.

• A considerable amount of time and work has been invested in establishing this service over the last seven years.

• I want to acknowledge and thank the people of the Kawakawa community who have given their time, energy and passion into creating this wonderful facility.

• In particular, I’d like to acknowledge:

- Ngāti Hine Health Trust Representatives - Henrietta Paraha, Maxine Shortland, Debbie Rihari, Margaret Wikaire, and Mita Tipene.

- Living and Learning Foundation Trustee Glennie Oborn, Director Michelle Pratt and Manager Nikki Prendergast.

- The fabulous architect - Phil Smith – for his vision and his commitment into creating this absolutely amazing building that is a whole lot more than just a building.

- And the builder - Howard Harnett – who was able to bring that vision to life

• It is a real pleasure to be here today and I hope you are all feeling very proud of the Ngāti Hine Health Trust Early Childhood Centre.

• A positive identity is further shaped through a sense of individuality and a sense of belonging and this is what early childhood centres can provide.

• Education is not just about learning facts from books. It is about experiencing the world, embracing society and discovering who you are.

• Early childhood centres are the perfect place for your child to take their first steps beyond their home and into the outside world.

• And we know that early childhood education builds a strong foundation for a child’s ongoing education, learning and development. Children learn lots of new skills, building on those that they learn at home and from their families and whānau.

• Our Government’s focus is squarely on raising achievement, in particular for those groups of children who have historically under performed.

• Until our system raises the achievement for all learners, and gives them the same opportunities to participate successfully in a 21st century economy and society we cannot claim that we have a world class system.

• But we are close.

• With a successful partnership between parents, schools and the Government, focused unrelentingly on achievement for all, where the learner is unequivocally at the centre of the system, we can have the world class education system we want, need, and deserve.

• For our part, the Government has invested over $12billion in education (the highest ever), of which almost half is committed to the salaries of our principals and teachers - in whose hands the leadership and quality learning engagement rests. The remainder is the resource that funds school properties, transport, operations, and programmes.

• In addition, in recognition of the modern economy that we and our learners are a part of, we have invested $1.5billion in ultra fast broadband, $160million so far in progressively upgrading school technology connections, and a further significant investment in developing a network for learning that will ensure that e-learning resources can be available to all teachers and learners.

• With the establishment of our new Future Investment Fund from the proceeds of our partial sell down of state-owned companies we will have a further $1billion to invest in learning spaces for the 21st century, real and virtual.

• We have increased funding for education every year over the last three years but we have to ensure that we are getting the best value for money.

• We are currently considering a number of options to ensure money is being spent in the best possible way to benefit the learner.

• I want to congratulate you for developing an exciting learning programme that will enrich your tamariki in the tīkanga and kawa of Ngāti Hine. I want to praise you for creating an environment that combines those three vital components for a successful future: family, education and identity.

• It is clear to me today that your children are getting the best possible start to their education. Thank you again for inviting me to celebrate with you on this very special day. I’m delighted now to declare the Ngāti Hine Health Trust Early Childhood Centre officially open.

Please note these are just speaking notes. You can view the Minister's full speech here at www.hekiaparata.co.nz early next week.

Speech to the Electricity Engineers’ Association Conference

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:31:49 +1200

Hon Hekia Parata

Acting Minister of Energy and Resources

Speech to
ELECTRICITY ENGINEERS’ ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
SkyCity Conference Centre, Auckland

Good morning

Thank you for the opportunity to meet with a group of dedicated electricity professionals and to open your 2011 Conference today.

Last year when my colleague, Hon Gerry Brownlee, addressed you, he talked about the various challenges facing the electricity industry and what we were doing about tackling these challenges.

At that time we’d had an in-depth look at all aspects of the electricity market by way of a major review, taken on board the views set out in the extensive range of submissions in response to the review, and had a bill on its way through Parliament.

We were also in the process of setting up the new Electricity Authority.

There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then, so let me review a few of the highlights, starting with a few high-level comments on the Energy part of my portfolio.

You may recall that a draft Energy Strategy was released for consultation in July of last year, and the final version will be reviewed by Cabinet in the coming weeks.

The strategy will outline the Government’s priorities for the energy sector over the medium term, including our commitment to the aim of 90 percent of our electricity generation coming from renewable energy sources by 2025.

We want to see progressively more of our electricity being generated from renewable sources, in order to help meet demand and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Over the March quarter renewables made up 79 percent of our electricity generation, attributable to strong hydro inflows and generation from new wind and geothermal sources.

This, combined with the use of gas over coal at the Huntly power station, resulted in the lowest quarterly electricity generation emissions in ten years.

We have policies favourable to renewable energy – for instance, the Emissions Trading Scheme, which encourages renewables in preference to fossil fuels by introducing a price on carbon.

In other words, we are not prioritising fossil fuels over renewable energy sources, although fossil fuels will continue to play an important role in the global economy.

Around half of the energy we currently consume is from petroleum, and we cannot just turn off the tap in our journey to a lower carbon economy.

It is the diversity of energy sources that is the basis of New Zealand’s comparative advantage.

We need to continue to develop both our renewable and non-renewable resources, and improve our energy efficiency to manage our environmental responsibilities and realise our economic opportunities.

Having set out the wider policy context, I want to now focus to the electricity sector.

The new Electricity Industry Act came into force on 1 November last, and the new Electricity Authority got its feet under the table for the first time.

While it was charged with continuing some of the work that the former Electricity Commission had underway, overall it was slimmed-down with far fewer objectives and functions than the former Commission.

We actually anticipated the coming-into-force of the Act by persuading the major participants to work together to put in place a more liquid electricity hedge market, one of areas of weakness of the previous arrangements.

A hedge market is particularly important to enable new retailers, including lines businesses and new generators, to enter the market.

The Authority is monitoring the hedge market liquidity, which is still insufficient, but significant progress has been made.

The new Authority came into existence late last year following a very tidy and well managed transition resulting from hard work by a large number of people.

In summary, the Authority, which has been established as an independent Crown Entity, is responsible for five high-level actions:

• making and administering the rules governing the electricity industry through an Electricity Industry Participation Code;

• monitoring compliance with the code and other provisions in the Electricity Industry Act and regulations and take enforcement action;

• undertaking market facilitation measures such as education and providing guidelines, information and model arrangements;

• industry and market monitoring, and carrying out reviews, studies and inquiries into matters relating to the industry; and

• contracting for market operation services and system operator services.

A major recommendation of the 2009 Ministerial Review was to abolish the reserve energy scheme and sell the Whirinaki plant.

The review had concluded that the reserve energy scheme reduced security of supply by encouraging market participants to rely on the former Electricity Commission to ensure security.

It also discouraged investment by electricity generators in peaker plants.

Just before Christmas we decided to sell the diesel-fired electricity generation plant at Whirinaki instead of transferring it to Meridian Energy as originally planned.

Meridian had advised that it did not want the plant, and we considered that the electricity market would be best served by selling the plant on the New Zealand market by open tender.

The tender has been handled by the Ministry of Economic Development and Treasury, and negotiations are likely to be finalised in the next couple of months.

In December we also announced details of virtual asset swaps between the three state-owned electricity generator-retailers: Genesis Energy, Meridian Energy, and Mighty River Power.

The rationale for this was a geographic imbalance, with Meridian having little generation in the North Island and Genesis and Mighty River Power have none in the South Island.

This had resulted in weaker competition between retailers than is desirable, and the virtual asset swaps were intended to allow consumers greater choice and encourage the SOEs to compete more as truly nation-wide suppliers, putting downward pressure on price increases.

The virtual asset swaps came into force on 1 January 2011 and will last for 15 years.

These virtual asset swaps complement the transfer of Tekapo A and B power stations from Meridian to Genesis, which took place at the beginning of this month.

The changes address dissatisfaction with the sector’s performance – in particular with price increases above underlying increases in generation costs and insufficient generation to deal with dry years.

It is all about balancing the short-term impact of the changes for the SOEs with the long-term interests of the New Zealand economy.

I thought that it would also be useful to look at a few of the Authority’s longer-term projects, just to give you a feel for the broader picture.

You will no doubt be aware of the new campaign which began at the end of May, encouraging New Zealanders to shop around for electricity.

Frankly, as a nation, we have not been very good at that.

It seems that we will happily trot between retailers to seek out the best deal for, say, flat screen television sets or home appliances, but when we only have to pick up the phone or do a bit of research on the internet, it too often gets put in the “too hard” basket.

So we need to motivate people to look seriously at their electricity costs and do something about them.

The Authority’s campaign provides consumers with information about switching electricity suppliers, the ease of switching, and the potential savings that can be made from switching.

The campaign is about consumers taking control of their electricity bill by encouraging them to shop around for the best prices.

We know from our research that residential consumers can make significant savings by switching to the cheapest available retailer.

There are some sizeable “quick wins” available to consumers, which they can learn about from new “what’s my number” website for the sake of spending just a few minutes.

The average annual saving for households switching to the cheapest retail option in their area was estimated to be $150 last year – nationally that would equate to savings of $240 million.

We must improve choice for electricity consumers and help them put competitive pressure on electricity retailers to provide better value for money.

The government has budgeted up to $15 million over three years to achieve this, to be spent jointly by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to upgrade and promote the Consumer Powerswitch website and by the Authority to develop and administer programmes to facilitate switching.

Turning to the wholesale end of the electricity market, most of you will have heard about the spike in wholesale prices which occurred on 26 March this year, and I won’t take time to review the details.

Suffice to say that determining whether this event constituted an Undesirable Trading Situation, or UTS for short, has been an interesting and challenging time for the Authority.

As you will know by now, the Authority published its decision last week to the effect that a UTS did develop on 26 March 2011, because if left unchanged the events on that day might threaten trading on the wholesale electricity market.

This turn could preclude the maintenance of orderly trading or proper settlement of trades, and which could threaten the generally accepted principles of trading and the public interest.

The Authority has therefore proposed resetting offer prices at the Huntly power station to a maximum of $3,000 per Megawatt-hour on 26 March.

The full rationale for Authority’s decision is of course available on its website for those of you with a close interest in these matters.

Whether you agree or disagree with the Authority’s finding, the point I wish to make is that we have an independent regulator which is resourced to monitor the market, carefully consider the evidence objectively, and then make the hard calls when needed.

The Authority is extremely busy, with a whole raft of other work on its plate, and I will touch on just a couple of items.

The Authority is required to introduce price floors to cope with electricity scarcity situations which inevitably arise from time to time.

The underlying aim is to achieve efficient incentives for investment in “last resort” generation and demand response capability.

The Authority has been consulting on a range of price floors, and also on introducing requirements for spot market purchasers to disclose their financial exposure to spot prices.

The final arrangements resulting from this work are likely to be implemented following the HVDC Pole 3 commissioning.

The Authority is also required to introduce mechanisms to manage spot price risks caused by constraints on the national grid.

It is therefore consulting on what is known as an inter-island Financial Transmission Right, which is a market-based mechanism for managing such locational price risks.

There are still several design features to be finalised, but work should be complete late this year.

Many of you will be working in small to medium businesses, so it is timely to mention a recent Government initiative of interest to such enterprises.
Small to medium companies will get financial help to boost competitiveness and reduce costs from energy savings through the new “Energising Business” programme run by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, or EECA.

It is estimated that the programme will assist around 180 companies to increase profitability and competitive advantage by helping them invest in energy efficiency.

Improved energy use has enormous benefits for business – reduced costs, improved productivity and a stronger brand and reputation.

This programme will help many smaller businesses, which after all are the lifeblood of our economy, realise these benefits.

The findings and the successes will be shared to help others build stronger, more resilient businesses through smart energy use.

The Government is investing $1.46 million in the programme, which is expected to deliver nearly $2 million in energy savings to participating businesses each year.

Under the programme, companies spending less than $300,000 a year will receive 33 percent of the cost of identifying and implementing energy-saving initiatives – up to a maximum of $30,000 per project.

Organisations with energy management expertise have been contracted to deliver the programme, targeting different technologies and business types across the country.

Of course, no small business is like another, and “Energising Business” programme reflects that.

EECA has partnered with experienced energy experts, and organisations with strong regional business links, to deliver a service that will best meet diverse companies’ needs.

From Southland to Auckland, companies are already signing up to find their energy-saving potential and start capitalising on it.
For example, the EcoSmart programme run by the Employers’ and Manufacturers’ Association in partnership with Auckland Council is already fully subscribed with 50 companies participating.

As well as general energy efficiency support for small to medium companies, “Energising Business” will target EECA’s priority business sectors – that is, food production and tourism.

Further programmes targeting key sectors and regions are scheduled to be rolled out.

Turning to my responsibilities for the safety in the electricity and gas sectors, I would like to recognise your significant contributions to the work undertaken in conjunction with my officials in the Energy Safety Division of the Ministry.

On the standards front, I note your contribution to the development of New Zealand and joint standards, and the important role of chairman of New Zealand’s international standards co-ordination committee.

New Zealand relies on standards infrastructure for both safety and trade facilitation.

On the public safety front, you have shown leadership in the development and implementation of guidelines for safety management systems, which are a feature of the new regulatory environment.

Your input into the review of certification and fees covering work in both the electricity and gas sectors has been appreciated.

This also applies to your technical input into the review of the Electricity and Gas Safety Regulations being carried out to fine-tune the 2010 regulations applying to both sectors

All of these inputs represent a significant professional engineering commitment to promoting and maintaining safety across the breadth of the electricity and gas sectors that provide an important energy source for the country.

In these sectors, where technology and energy conservation initiatives and developments are occurring at very fast pace indeed, such input is vital and appreciated.

Finally, let me conclude by referring to an initiative which neatly spans my Energy and Women’s Affairs portfolios – namely, the recent move by the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand to encourage more women into engineering.

IPENZ, along with officials from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, has developed a business plan which aims to increase the number of women in engineering.

The “Women in Engineering” business plan is about taking action to increase the number of women studying engineering, and ensuring that women can have rewarding engineering careers.

It fits well with ensuring that women are fully engaged in the economy, which is one of our key priorities.

As I’m sure you are aware, New Zealand needs more engineers, and a 2009 report suggested that an additional 1700 or so engineers would be required over the next five years.

With the devastating series of earthquakes in Christchurch, that need across a range of engineering disciplines is now greatly heightened.

These tragic events have meant that developing our engineering workforce is more crucial than ever.

Thank you for inviting me to open your Conference. I’m sure that you’ll have a successful and enjoyable couple of days.

ENDS

For more information contact: Julie Ash 04 817 9825/ 021 940 357

Speech to The National Council of Women of New Zealand - Wellington

nospam@example.com (admin) — Sat, 07 May 2011 18:47:00 +1200

Greetings, it is a pleasure to be here to open to new premises of the National Council of Women of New Zealand.

The Council has been contributing to women’s progress for 115 years. Their service to women, the family and the community at local, national and international levels through advocacy, research, and action has been extremely valuable.

I would like to start by talking about the Government’s vision for New Zealand. That is to build a strong economy and a society that enables all New Zealanders to reach their personal goals and dreams.

Continue reading "Speech to The National Council of Women of New Zealand - Wellington"

HER Business Group – International Women’s Day Breakfast, Wellington

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:07:59 +1300

It is now about three months since I became Minister of Women’s Affairs. I have spent much of that time, as much as my other portfolios allow, thinking about what the women of New Zealand need from government, and how women can contribute more to the future of our nation.

Today I want to share with you the results of that reflection – to set out my high-level priorities for women in New Zealand.

The best place to start is with the government’s vision for New Zealand, because all our policies – for women, for business, for communities, for Māori – should feed into achieving that vision.

The Prime Minister articulated that vision in his Statement to Parliament last month.

As you would expect, the government has a very strong focus on building a stronger economy. That’s because only a strong economy can provide us with the better jobs, higher incomes and improved living standards we all want for ourselves and for all New Zealanders.

The government has a comprehensive plan for faster economic growth. It involves getting the government’s books back in order, demanding better value for taxpayer money, and tilting the economy towards savings, investment, and exports.

We also have a very strong focus on better public services. This is not just a matter of looking for efficiencies in the public service – though we do need to do this to ensure taxpayers are getting the best possible value.

Rather, the main focus is on making sure we have the right services, delivered in ways that bring the most benefit to New Zealanders.

We need to ensure Kiwis have the skills they need to participate in the global economy.

We need to take a new approach to social services, by bringing agencies together to deal with the needs of families as a whole, such as in Whānau Ora.

We need some fundamental reform in our welfare services to reduce the cycle of long-term dependency. This includes helping people transition to the jobs that will be created by a growing economy.

And we need to ensure that the state delivers high quality public health-care for everyone, and good quality housing for those most in need.

The third main focus of government is building a safer New Zealand. We will do this by addressing the drivers of crime and, specifically, by prioritising early interventions to stop people becoming criminals.

We will continue work on key areas where we know early intervention can help divert people from a life of crime. These include:

increasing maternity and early parenting support

targeting services at young people with behavioural and conduct problems

progressing legislation designed to minimise alcohol-related harm

and developing tools for diverting low-level offenders and providing additional support to those most at risk of offending.

I have given a very broad-brush idea of some of the major policy developments, but I also want to briefly touch on another very significant initiative: the cross-party constitutional review announced a couple of weeks before Christmas.

The review is deliberately wide-ranging and will include matters such as the size of Parliament, the length of the electoral term, Māori representation, the role of the Treaty of Waitangi and whether New Zealand needs a written constitution.

Traditionally, constitutional change has happened incrementally in New Zealand – by tinkering, really – rather than by looking at all our major constitutional arrangements together.

The constitutional review is a rare chance to stand back and take a fundamental look at what arrangements New Zealand needs for the 21st Century and beyond.

We understand that, to endure, constitutional changes need to have wide public and political understanding and support. That’s why we are running a cross-party process and are looking for wide public engagement. That may include a referendum in 2014, but what is more important is the national conversation that we have before then. That conversation needs to be about who, and what we are as a society, and not just about whether we should have fewer, or [God forbid] more MPs.

So you have a personal opportunity to help shape the nature of New Zealand in the next century. I hope you will take it.

That is the long-term, but the focus of government is, by necessity, more on the medium-term. I have set out the government’s vision of a stronger economy that can deliver the jobs and incomes New Zealanders need, supported by better and more effective public services and a safer society with more confidence.

I’ve called it the government’s vision, but it is really a vision for a better New Zealand that can only be achieved if we all play our part.

Women are absolutely critical to achieving that better future.

First, they are crucial to building a stronger economy and society.

For example, the largest single contribution to productivity in the last 30 years has come from women’s increased labour market participation – but we are still far from fully harnessing women’s economic potential.

And women also make a huge contribution behind the scenes. This includes doing the vast bulk of unpaid work in the home and in the community – around 70 percent of women’s work is unpaid, compared to 40 percent of men’s time. We need to value this more and ensure that the burden is more equally shared.

Women too, have a significant role in building better public services. Nearly 60 percent of public servants are women, but they make up less than 40 percent of senior managers. Making better use of women’s leadership skills is one of the keys to more effective and efficient public services.

And women have a very strong interest in building a safer and more resilient Aoteaoroa. New Zealand’s record of family violence and sexual violence is a cause of national shame, and women are overwhelmingly the victims of those crimes. Being and feeling safe is one of the most basic human needs and we cannot expect women to make a greater contribution in leadership or in the economy if, as a society, we do not ensure that they are safe in their own homes.

Women have so much more to offer, and part of that potential comes from the progress we have made over the last 25 years or so.

I’ll give you a few examples to illustrate what I mean:

Women under 50 are now generally more likely than men to have a university degree, but better qualifications are often not delivering the corresponding improvements in work opportunities or incomes. We may be more likely to have higher qualifications than a man, but we still struggle to get the top management and governance positions and we are likely to be paid less.

You may know that the gender pay gap is the lowest it has ever been – currently it is 10.6 percent, down from 13 percent a couple of years ago. That’s good news, but after 30 years of it being illegal to pay a woman less than a man for the same work, there should not be a gap at all.

Part of the problem is that women do not always sense the disadvantage, or at least not at the beginning. For instance, I think many women with a bachelor’s degree would be surprised to learn that, on average, they were being paid 6 percent less than their male colleagues just one year after graduation. After five years, and fewer promotions, they may be less surprised, but by then the gap has grown to 17 percent.

This tells us two things – besides the very obvious point that it is unfair. First, that we cannot rely on things like better educational outcomes to eliminate the gap on their own. And second, it’s not just women that are missing out – New Zealand is also a loser, because we are not making the best use of the huge investment we have made in education.

Women have also made huge strides in other areas.

More than 40 percent of those serving on government boards and committees are now women, in part because of the work of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs Nominations Service.

And the number of women in parliament and in local government has been increasing slowly but steadily. I sit in a House where a third of the MPs are women, and around a Cabinet table that has six women Ministers out of 20.

In fact, by world standards women in New Zealand do well. We rank highly in international surveys, such as the latest Global Gender Gap Report. There we are ranked fifth, just behind the Scandinavians.

So there is progress in most areas. That’s great, but the issue is that the pace of change is often positively glacial, even where the gap is big. We should be glad, for instance, that there has been a small increase in the number of women on the boards of our biggest public companies in the past two years. But at 9.3 percent of directorships – up from 8.7 percent – I don’t think I will be breaking out the Champagne. I’m impatient for change, especially when I see the Australians making bigger gains in a shorter period with a series of initiatives that have come from the business community itself.

And there are some areas where it is difficult to discern improvements at all, or where positive change has yet to flow through to significant improvement on the ground.

I’m thinking here of family violence and sexual violence – crimes that have a huge and negative impact on women and on New Zealand as a whole. We can measure the economic impact, and that is horrifying enough on its own – over $5 billion a year for family violence and around $1.2 billion a year for sexual violence. What we can’t measure is the human suffering and lifetime damage that goes with these crimes. We simply have to do better, and that means changing society, not just changing laws. Government has a role, but can’t do it on its own. We need to work with communities to change the attitudes that allow violence to continue.

So reducing violence against women is one of my top priorities as Minister.

There is some excellent work being done to change attitudes to family violence – such as the ‘It’s not OK’ campaign – and the Ministry has made a major contribution to that work, mostly behind the scenes.

The most significant work on violence undertaken by the Ministry in recent years, however, has been on sexual violence. It has chosen this focus, not just because of the terrible impacts sexual violence has on women, but because it is an area where few others were doing work.

The Ministry has small resources and it is important that it uses them in areas that can make the most difference. With its ground-breaking research on effective interventions for adult survivors of sexual violence it has established itself as a leader in this field. I have asked MWA to continue their work on sexual violence, with a specific focus on addressing repeat victimisation.

It has been calculated that more than 70 percent of sexual offences are suffered by just 2 percent of women. We simply have to do better for these women.

As I indicated earlier, being safe, and being able to live without fear are the bedrock without which it is pointless to think about women having good choices in other areas of their lives, such as finding a well-paying job.

But we don’t just want women to survive – we want them to thrive.

So my second priority for New Zealand women is to ensure that they can be fully engaged in the economy and can make the maximum possible contribution to New Zealand’s future prosperity.

The OECD understands that making better use of women’s skills is key to increasing productivity and raising New Zealand’s standard of living, and has said so.

Although women’s overall labour force participation rate is at an all time high, there is still more potential. As I indicated earlier, there is also clear evidence that we are not making best use of the skills and experience of women already in work.

As is often the case, the top-line numbers obscure a more complex picture. Women’s overall labour force participation rates are high by world standards – we are ranked 9th in the OECD – but we also have high rates of women in part-time work, and our rate of engagement in the core child-bearing years of 30 to 34 is much lower – in this demographic we are ranked 24th in the OECD.

And while the drop in the pay gap is encouraging, the underlying causes of the gender pay gap remain. These include occupational segregation, women’s greater responsibility for unpaid work – particularly child-care – and gender discrimination.

These are all focus areas for the Ministry. The Ministry will continue its work on issues such as breaking-down occupational segregation. I have also asked MWA to investigate how we might better support the translation of women’s improved skills and educational outcomes into improved employment outcomes. That’s policy-speak for saying that I think that, if you have a good degree, you should get a good job, with a good promotion and be paid as much as someone with a similar degree who happens to wear trousers – and there should be something we can do to help that happen.

The third priority area for me and for the Ministry is women in leadership. I have already talked a little about how New Zealand is missing out by not making better use of women’s leadership skills.

There is good international evidence that shows a positive correlation between women in leadership and corporate performance. This includes a study of Fortune 500 companies – the biggest businesses in the US – which shows that the companies with the most women directors are significantly more profitable than those with few or no women directors.

I am taking a best-practice approach to women’s leadership and am focusing on:

the package of skills that boards need, and the skills that women can bring to boards, rather than the gender of members per se

and closing the gap with Australia with regard to women’s participation on company boards.

The Ministry is also doing some very practical things to help board-ready women find suitable governance roles, including producing a unique interactive self-assessment tool called ‘my board strengths’. You can find the tool on the women on boards pages of the Ministry’s website. Try it – I think you will find it really useful in judging your current skills and where they could be used.

So giving women better choices, and making better use of their qualifications, skills and experience are key to a better future for New Zealand.

I have outlined government’s vision for New Zealand and my priorities for my Women’s Affairs portfolio, but this is not just a government issue.

If we could fix things simply by passing more laws and by ever better policy interventions, then I would not be here talking to you about what still needs to be done.

The fact is, we need your help.

We need to change the attitudes, and expectations, and behaviours that underpin everything from the pay gap, to the poor use of women’s leadership skills and the cycle of family violence.

Government’s can’t change attitudes – only people can do that. We have to speak up more as individuals and challenge the attitudes we encounter at work, on the sidelines at the kids’ rugby and netball, and at home.

There are also some specific things that you can do, as engaged citizens and members of non-government organisations.

It would help, for instance, if we could all agree on one definition of the pay gap. Some years ago the Ministry of Women’s Affairs adopted a measure that it judged provided the most accurate reflection of the gap. Not the smallest – you can always choose another method that comes up with a smaller or a larger number – just what the experts believe to be the most accurate.

That measure has been used by at least the last six Ministers of Women’s Affairs, from both Labour- and National-led governments, but every time the subject comes up in the media, someone introduces a different measure that better suits their needs at the time.

The confusion this causes does not benefit any of us who are committed to eliminating the gap. It simply gives comfort to those who would like to think that, if we can’t agree how big the gap is, maybe it doesn’t exist.

We also need to do better at identifying and articulating the causes of ongoing disparity. We also need to spend more time talking to those who need to change, and rather less time repeating our own mantras to those who are essentially fighting for the same things.

We are human. We will – thank heavens – always have differing views on how best to achieve the times we want for New Zealand women.

But at the high level is there really a debate? Is there anyone, who is actively engaged in women’s issues, who does not want women to have better jobs; to be fully and fairly rewarded for their efforts; to lead, where they have the skills; and to live without violence or the fear of it.

You are ultimately not the people I most need to convince – and neither am I the person you need to change.

The people we both need to be working on are those – mostly men – who make the decisions; and the women – especially young women – who make the choices which can change the future or continue the status quo.

To do that, we need to speak the language that they understand, which is not always the language of gender rights.

And finally there is a very personal and direct way you can help.

If you are interested in governance roles – or know of women who have the right skills – ensure that you make your interest known both formally and informally.

You can do it formally by registering on the Ministry’s Nominations database. You can find how to do this on the Ministry’s website, where you will also find a wealth of information and tools to help you judge your level of skills and where they could be used.

And you can do it informally by raising it in conversations with male colleagues, friends and family, and by turning up at events where decision-makers are likely to be and making yourself and your ambitions known. Men are much better at this than women, and it is one reason why they may be more top-of-mind when it comes to board roles.

I’ve talked a lot today about the potential of women and how it can be better used to build a fairer, richer, safer New Zealand.

I’m sure that there is potential in the room today that can be used to help achieve that vision.

Kia kaha. Be strong, and use it. You will thank yourself and New Zealand will benefit.

Thank you.

Speech on the 1st reading of the Credit Reforms (Responsible Lending) Bill

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:02:55 +1200

Hekia Parata: Tena koe, Mr Speaker. Huri noa e to tätou e te Whare. Tena tätou katoa. I begin my remarks on the Credit Reforms (Responsible Lending) Bill by firstly acknowledging Carol Beaumont for the work, effort, and purpose that sits behind this bill, and her predecessor, Charles Chauvel, who equally has made significant contributions to this area of work. I would also like to join with the House in acknowledging Her Worship the Mayor of Porirua, Jenny Brash, her deputy mayor, Litea Ah Hoi, and Andrew Shann. I acknowledge all the work and the many months and years he has devoted to this piece of work. If It is not clear from the speeches tonight, I would like to make it clear that I do not think there is any disagreement between any sides of the House as to the problem that we face and the concern we have about the predatory nature of fringe lending and the vulnerability of fringe borrowers. With respect, the fact that we disagree on the solution that we might take to address this problem does not attribute to one side or the other a greater moral authority. I think it is important –

Carmel Sepuloni: It’s shameful that that side is not supporting this bill.

Hekia Parata: I am not ashamed at all to say that I think this is absolutely a problem and it is one we need to deal with. Obviously, it disproportionately affects those who are on the fringes of our society – those who are the poorest. In many cases, they are Maori and Pacific Islanders. To have the Opposition shouting abuse at me that I should be ashamed is offensive, because I do share the concern of the House; I do not share those members’ view that the Opposition has the monopoly on understanding what the solutions are. This is a very complex area and the measures the bill proposes are not, in my view, viable solutions. The Government is looking at comprehensive measures to address these issues, and we are reviewing –

Carmel Sepuloni: Looking is not good enough.

Hekia Parata: It is amazing how those members can sit on a moral high ground when Labour had the opportunity for 9 years to address this issue, but it did not do so. I have 4 minutes, and I would really like the opportunity to contribute my 4 minutes to this debate. We are reviewing the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act, we are implementing the Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act, and we are undertaking a major review of consumer law and improving financial literacy. Lacking as they might the drama that the Opposition wishes to bring to this, those measures have far greater potential to bring about the changes that we all agree are necessary. The interest rates cap component of the bill has generated the most publicity as a way to stop loan sharks. Although National does not support the charging of excessive interest rates, we have reservations about interest rate caps being a viable regulatory intervention for over-indebtedness and poor lending practices. This is because the issues are wider and more complex than just the cost of affordability of credit. All consumers should have access to credit when they need it, on an informed basis. If a cap is introduced at a level insufficient to generate a lender’s required margin the price of credit can be transferred from the interest rate into fees and other charges, thereby negating the intention of price control. The bill also seeks to limit a creditor’s right to the value of goods at the time of enforcement. This too is problematic. There is concern that the finance market for lending on consumer items could potentially collapse overnight if such a law was introduced. The bill proposes the introduction of responsible lending obligations that seems to be based on initiatives in Britain and Australia. We have already heard from previous speakers that capping of interest rates has been halted in the Commonwealth of Australia while they study the effectiveness of this. This notion that we should embrace what every other country in the world is doing, which they have only been doing for the last 12 months or so, without knowing how effective it is seems to me to be a foolhardy rush when we have the opportunity to test the confluence of changes that we are already bringing about. I do not resile from my position that I share the concern of this House for fringe borrowers; nor do I resile from the position that this Government is taking.

Hekia's speech in the General Debate, 5th May

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 06 May 2010 11:41:32 +1200

Hekia Parata: Tena koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. I will start my contribution this afternoon by inviting members opposite to join us on this planet. So far this afternoon we have heard a reinvention of the his-and-her story of the time that members on that side of the House were in Government. A legacy of red ink was left to us – red ink. We had a falling economic growth of 0.2 percent annual GDP in the 2008-09 December year, down from 3.2 percent, because we found that members opposite specialised in plummeting rather than in rising. The exception was unemployment. The unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in the 200-09 December quarter. It was up from 3.4 percent. We had high inflation, a 3.4 percent annual consumer price index –

Hon Darren Hughes: What is it now?

Hekia Parata: I will get to that. If that member of the House would just still his impatient heart, I will get to where we are going on that. We had a rising current account deficit, The current account deficit fell to around 9 percent of the gross domestic product. We had a $16.1 billion current account deficit for the 2008-09 December year, up from $14.4 bilion. Annual productivity growth was only 1.1 percent. What a significant achievement between 200 and 2008 that was! But members can rest assured: members on this side of the House have a plan. We have a plan. It was a plan that brought us into Government in 2008, and a plan that saw us delivering a Budget in 2009 that redirected the $2 billion worth of low-value expenditure that had all been brought in by members on that side of the House. Now we have a plan for 2010. New Zealanders are asking whether, on the one hard, they should have Labour, which is a spend, spend, spend type of administration –

Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga: Borrow, borrow.

Hekia Parata: I have not even got to the borrowing and taxing side of it yet – or whether they should have the preparation for future growth that this Government is interested in, where numbers in the core bureaucracy are capped, $2 billion is moved to front-line public services over the next 4 years, and another $1.8 billion will be found in Budget 2010. They ask whether they should have the Labour approach to life, which is to borrow, borrow, borrow. On the other hand, they could have the National approach to life, where billions of extra dollars is invested in critical infrastructure –

Hon Trevor Mallard: This is a disgrace. This member shouldn’t talk on that topic.

Hekia Parata: that member might care to listen instead of shouting his frenetic statements, which nobody is interested in – including the national grid and broadband. That directly supports thousands of jobs in our communities and contributes to a stronger economy. They might ask whether they want the Labour approach, which is tax, tax, tax. On the other hand, they might prefer the National approach, which is to invest a $500 million relief package to help simplify things for small businesses, which members on this side of the House understand are what help grow the economy in order for us to have a sustainable tax base. Do we want the Labour approach to life, which is to spend, borrow, spend, tax, spend, borrow – and so the refrain goes on – or do we want an approach that sees the Resource Management Act simplified so that more people can get into business, more development can occur, and more jobs can be made available? Do we want an approach where we undertake major reviews and action follows, unlike the approach of members on that side of the House, which is to have reviews and consult people to death so that they are suffering from consultation fatigue? That is the opposite of what members on this side of the House do, because we take action on the things that we undertake to do. That is the kind of plan members on this side of the House have. Budget 2010 will see us lift New Zealand’s long-term economic performance, because we are not interested in the short-term frippery that characterised the Government of members opposite, but in the long-term, sustainable economic performance. Budget 2010 will outline broad-based reforms for the tax systems so that it is fairer. It will leave the vast majority of household better off and will support faster growth. Budget 2010 will move taxpayers’ money to high-priority public services, spending significantly more on health and education. As we speak, the Minister of Health has just announced a new bowel cancer screening test. That is yet another contribution to sustainable, long-term health in our community. We have a plan. We have a Budget that is good for the economy and for New Zealand families. We invite members on that side of the House to join us on this planet, where we are ambitious for New Zealand and we have a plan to support those ambitions.

Hekia's Speech on the Excise and Excise-equivalent Duties table (Tobacco Products) Amendment Bill 2R

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:08:54 +1200

Hekia Parata: I am very proud to be standing, if not in unanimity, as the previous speaker indicated, then certainly in near unity and definite consensus on the Excise and Excise-equivalent Duties Table (Tobacco Products) Amendment Bill. We have heard tonight from a wide range of speakers across the House. Many have shared personal and family stories that help affirm the decision we are making in respect of the bill tonight to be correct. Many people have ben very honest in sharing their personal experiences in respect of tobacco and smoking, and I think that the House is both honoured and humbled by those genuine and personal experiences. We have also had a raft of statistics that tell us what the collective experience has been. Research and evidence supports tobacco being a curse and scourge. We know that it is the single biggest cause of preventable deaths amongst New Zealanders. In respect of Maori and Pacific communities, it takes a very, very high toll. One in two Maori smoke, and almost one-third of Pacific Islanders smoke, as well. We know that those are preventable deaths, and that Maori experience a 10 percent greater mortality rate from smoking-related deaths than non-Maori. We know that Maori are three times more likely than non-Maori to die of lung cancer.

In Pacific communities 8 percent of deaths in females and 10 percent in males could be avoided if smoking was eliminated. We have heard tonight about the high economic and fiscal costs that smoking subjects our community to, but we have also touched on the high social costs that it incurs. We have heard stories of families that have suffered not just in the present but through generations, so the stand we are taking tonight as a Parliament, which comes after several years of incremental progress, is a very important one in staunching the loss of life to this curse. As has been noted the bill provides for incremental increases in costs because we are very conscious that just as smoking is of very high incidence in low socio-economic communities and families, the impact will high them hardest. We need to be as supportive as possible in recognising that smoking is an addiction. Almost everyone I know who smokes wishes that he or she did not and could stop. We need to be aware that the decision we make tonight will have a significant impact but that there is a lot of support available for people. This change will help not only personal health but the health of whänau and communities, the health of our nation and society, and the health of our future. I am particularly supportive of this bill because I have spent a good deal of my life trying to persuade friends and whänau to stop smoking. I have spent a good deal of my life telling women whom I consider otherwise intelligent to stop smoking.

I am really pleased that this bill is another nail in the coffin of tobacco smoking in our society, and I wholeheartedly support it. I have sisters and brothers who still smoke, and I hope they are watching this and I hop they are committing to stopping smoking but, more importantly, I have nieces and nephews who have started smoking. I want them now to consider how important it is for them to stop smoking and for them to recognise that it is not cool and that it does not look glamorous. The Hon Ruth Dyson recalled an earlier day when smoking was portrayed as sexy and glamorous, and one needs only watch the series Mad Men – the title is particularly apt – which harks back to an earlier time when smoking was seen as being something that if one was really cool one should do. And it was mad and we need to stop it. We need to be able to help young people to stop before they start. We need for them to recognise that they cannot afford it, first off, because financially it is beyond their means, but in terms of their long-term health, it is beyond their means. As the Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia indicated earlier, we have to be concerned about our whare tamariki, about our ability and capacity to give birth to future health generations. Tobacco kills that opportunity and it creates a very poor start for children who are carried in a womb of a mother who continues to smoke. We need to be supportive of every measure that will help people who are addicted to this terrible scourge to give up, and we know that Quitline and many other agencies are available to help them do so. Tonight we have had so many speakers talk about the costs, about the opportunities, and about what this bill provides in a further step along the path of creating a health New Zealand. I would like to end as every other speaker has begun. First of all, I pay tribute to Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia who has fought this fight when it was very unpopular, as well as tonight when we are warmed by the popularity of support. I commend her for recognising that in many ways the least of it is fiscal cost issues, and mostly it is about the health of our communities, about the health of our whänau, about the health of our babies, those who have been born and those who are yet to be born.

First of all, I commend Tau Henare who, every day, struggles with this particular fight and he is winning the fight because he recognises how important it is to stop smoking and to be the role model he needs to be to his children, to his mokopuna, and to his community. I commend my tungane, Hone Harawira, who brought the tobacco inquiry to the Maori Affairs Committee, who pummelled them into agreeing to have this kaupapa, and who have gone around Aotearoa New Zealand carrying the flag on many kaupapa, but on this one in particular.

To the National-led Government that has had the confidence, the strength and the courage to support this issue alongside of the Maori party, I pay tribute; and to us, and to this Parliament. To the members of this House who have shared their views tonight and who will give their vote to this bill, I also thank them all very much. To our future, we can look forward to a stronger and healthier one for all New Zealanders. I proudly commend this bill to the House. Tena tätou katoa.

Step Change: Success The Only Option

nospam@example.com (admin) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:14:45 +1300

Hon Heather Roy, Hekia Parata MP, Te Ururoa Flavell MP joint speech to launch the report of the Inter-Party Working Group on School Choice; Parliament; Tuesday, February 16 2010.

Hon Heather Roy – ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader and Inter-Party Working Group Chair

Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

It’s a great pleasure for me and my National, ACT and Maori Party colleagues to welcome you here today for the launch of ‘Step Change: Success the Only Option’ – the report of the Inter-Party Working Group for School Choice.

The greatest legacy that parents can leave their children is to prepare them to succeed in the world that they will inherit. This world is characterised by rapid, continuous change and increasing complexity and ambiguity. The successful citizen not only needs a broad range of skills, knowledge and experience but also well refined tools for continuous self-learning.

Recognition of the Government’s role in achieving this was the key driver, in 2008, behind the Parties represented here today pledging to broaden school choice and raise student achievement. It was a natural progression of those electoral promises for this Inter-Party Working Group to become a cornerstone feature of the National-ACT Confidence & Supply Agreement.

I wish to take a moment, at this point, to introduce and acknowledge the members of the Working Group, which was established in April last year. The Group consisted of National MPs Hekia Parata, Chester Borrows, and Jonathan Young; Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell; and ACT MPs Sir Roger Douglas and me as Chair. The team was ably supported by Paul Henderson and Sarah Clark.

Our mission was to report on policy options for funding and regulation of schools in order to increase parental choice and school autonomy. For the past year we have reviewed current practice in New Zealand, and best practice overseas. We complemented our research with visits to schools around the country.

As I’m sure that you can imagine, six MPs from three Parties who have only recently formed a Government, can make for some challenging debates! That is even before a subject about which every one of us is passionate about – education – is put on the table. I believe that it is that same passion that makes all parents the most effective arbiters of what is best for their child. As Professor John Hattie, in his 2009 book, ‘Visible Learning’ noted:

“Across all home variables, parental aspirations and expectations for children’s educational achievement has the strongest relationship with achievement.”

While the group reached agreement on many points, it is not unusual, given the range of issues addressed, that some strongly held views were not shared across all Parties. As a result, the work of the Inter-Party Working Group has been put into two reports. The first is titled ‘Step Change: Success the Only Option’ and is supported by all members of the group. The second is titled ‘Free to Learn’, and will be released by Sir Roger Douglas and me soon.

Hekia and Te Ururoa will be addressing you shortly on some of the detail of the Report and I don’t wish to pre-empt them. However, I do intend to highlight the main recommendations of the report.

‘Step Change: Success the Only Option’ acknowledges that better educational outcomes are possible for all students. The principles underpinning this report are:
Choice: for students to develop a personal learning plan and for them to choose a learning provider who will meet their needs, interests and goals.
Flexibility: for providers to expand and find staff, curricula and pedagogies that match student needs.
Quality: that is reflected in school leadership, teaching, content and student performance outcomes.
Accountability: that sees providers measured by outcomes pertaining to student success and satisfaction.

Although our student achievement at higher levels of literacy and numeracy compares favourably with other countries, our students still perform poorly at the lower percentiles.

‘Step Change’ focuses on the 20 percent of students who are currently failing, and the five percent who are gifted and talented – those the Group deems to be most in need and not being served by the current education system.

The report recommends an eight-step programme, emphasising the four principles – choice, flexibility, quality and accountability – to improve outcomes for these students. Most importantly, it emphasises the needs of the student through a personalised learning pathway.

How this is to be implemented is the work of a Task Force that we recommend the Minister of Education to appoint now, with the intent of having the report’s proposals ready for implementation in the 2011 school year.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the interesting, productive and rewarding experience of working across the three Parties. Each MP brought different priorities and concerns to the table. Despite these differences, we have worked effectively towards a common goal and arrived at a point of agreement that we believe will raise the level of student achievement at both ends of the spectrum.

As Anthony Robbins noted:

"Don't be afraid of new ideas. Be afraid of old ideas. They keep you where you are and stop you from growing and moving forward. Concentrate on where you want to go, not on what you fear."

Thank you. I will now hand over to Hekia Parata.

Hekia Parata MP – National

The quality of our education expands and improves our life choices. Those life choices – good and bad – have an impact on the individual, their family, community, and ultimately our society. Ensuring an excellent education for all our school students is therefore a critical personal and public investment.

Learning to read, write, and count as part of an integrated New Zealand Curriculum will provide a strong and enduring education platform. Excellent teaching will deliver it.

The best New Zealand students rank with the best students internationally. The majority of our kids do well in our schools. One in five does not. One in three Maori and Pacific Island students are failing. These are urgent warning signals to a caring and cohesive society; an economy ambitious for growth; and a shared aspiration for higher standards of living for all.

The proposal of the Inter-Party Working Group recognizes that there is unrealized potential across the education system; that failure is occurring within schools and across deciles; that personalized learning plans and targeted support will help address both.

Our proposal draws on both international and domestic research and experience, and on the best initiatives being implemented around the world. It is directed at 6-16 year olds and engages a real, practical, and resourced partnership between the student, their home and learning provider.

Our proposal focuses on measurable student achievement and rewarding success.

The Inter Party Working Party, with representatives from National, ACT and the Maori Party, have achieved common accord on this proposal, reflecting our unity of purpose, and conviction that this initiative will be make a difference to the lowest 20 percent and the highest 5 percent, and in so doing point the way for the system as a whole.

We strongly commend this report and its recommendations to the Minister of Education.

Te Ururoa Flavell MP – Maori Party

The Maori Party is pleased to support this report along with National and ACT Parties.

The working group has devoted considerable time to fully debating the issues and has been aware just how significant the issue of school choice is.

The crisis in addressing Maori under-achievement in particular in general stream schools is an issue that the nation cannot walk away from.   The “same old, same old”, “been there done that” approach cannot continue. The report provides some levers for future work to address that crisis.

Our focus throughout this review has been to ensure that the disadvantaged are not used to advantage those already blessed with privilege.

The report fully documents the plight of the roughly 20% of students are not only failing but continuing to fall; a significant proportion of whom are Maori.

We would hope that this 20 percent will receive at least the same, and arguably much greater resources than the five percent of students who are gifted and talented.

An Education and Science Select Committee inquiry over a year ago gave us a good lead about some of the causes for the 20% tail of underachievement. Those causes rest in a number of areas, such as educational leadership, effective teachers, whanau support and the learner themselves.

Any strategy then to address this must be on an all fronts approach. What we know is that just as the causes of under-achievement are notoriously complex, so too, our interventions must be just as diverse.

And I want to make it quite clear that the urgent need to address the way in which institutions of the state have failed our Maori children is a challenge that all educational institutions must address. That is why the Maori Party Policy (He aha te me nui) promoted the concept of cultural competence.   In this report we note cultural competency is seen as essential in underpinning successful learner-teacher relationships.

We support teaching environments which promote a holistic view of education and where teacher expectations and pedagogies focus on fulfilling the potential of every child.

We support ongoing performance improvement and the capacity for teachers to be self-reflective and self-analytical about the difference they are making.

Where we would be concerned is where competition drives the educational environment; where institutions minimise treaty obligations and neutralise the push towards cultural competency, and the best interests of each child and their community are sacrificed to cater to market demand.

In conclusion we cannot forget those who are achieving and push them harder.

The mentoring approach set out in the report is not a new approach but will be a bold approach which if implemented could make a significant impact.

There are some innovative practices in our schools and education systems that are proven to work. The Māori Party’s approach is that if they confront the crisis in Māori under-achievement, they should be given their wings to fly.

We support the recommendation, therefore that a more comprehensive investigation take place that might lead to practical implementation, and we endorse the recommendation that the Minister establish a Taskforce with responsibility for establishing this initiative as soon as possible.

Finally, the policy platform of choice must not enable schools any opportunity to continue to fail Maori students. Failure is not a viable option.