Pillay Lynne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Pillay Lynne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:619;Page:15147] 
2.  
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour—Waitakere) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: What steps have been taken to verify the accuracy or otherwise of recent allegations concerning the awarding of unearned National Certificate of Educational Achievement credits at Hauraki Plains College? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 Last week the New Zealand Qualifications Authority received a box of stolen documents that were the basis of allegations of National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)# fraud. Following the investigation of those documents I have been advised that the allegations are untrue. The box contained students’ workbooks and not the evidence that comprised the final assessments. When concerns were raised at the school the school took immediate action to address the problem. There is no evidence that credits have been unfairly awarded at Hauraki Plains College. That rural school has had its name dragged through the mud without any justification on the word of a liar around whom there are competency issues using stolen goods. 
Lynne Pillay 
: What avenues exist to address professional competency issues? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: For teachers it is clear—the board of trustees and the New Zealand Teachers Council are responsible. For others it is a matter of leadership. I know that if someone on the Government side of the House used stolen goods and the words of a liar to deliberately wreck the reputation of a good school he or she would be gone by lunchtime. It will be interesting to see whether Bill English is big enough to apologise or whether Don Brash backs him or sacks him. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is one thing for a Minister in his answer to imply without detailing who the character is a certain description such as a liar. But in that last answer the Minister clearly said that Bill English was one; therefore he should be asked to withdraw and apologise. The  
Hansard 
 will show the connection. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I ask the member whether he used that expression in relation to the Hon Bill English. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: No. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The answer is quite specific. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. He may say that but if the  
Hansard  
clearly shows that connection first that there is a liar out there who is dragging the school through the mud and second someone should apologise for that. Surely the inference is that the person who needs to apologise is the person who is accused of being a liar. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I will have a look at the  
Hansard 
. If there is any such implication I will certainly come back to the House because every member’s word is accepted in this place. 
Hon Bill English 
: Given the Minister’s statement that nothing untoward happened at Hauraki Plains College how does he explain the public statement made by the principal of the college who said that pupils were given credits they had not earned and they had been stripped of those marks and has he seen the letter from the person who wrote the unit standards concerned which states that: “It is beyond doubt that most of the marked assessments I have reviewed would not meet the national standards and therefore fail moderation.” when in each case Hauraki Plains College gave the students those credits? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The only person who recommended that those credits be given was the incompetent liar who fed that member the information. 
Jim Peters 
: Was not the credits issue at Cambridge High School then at Hauraki Plains College and now widespread in other secondary schools yet to be revealed one that has resulted because NCEA at the Minister’s insistence incorporated two differing historical and dissimilar strands of educational achievement especially with regard to unit standards which involve both credits for portfolios and time; and is that not a matter for urgent review? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: It was the decision of the previous Government to include unit standards within NCEA and I do not propose to review that decision made I think in the time of Wyatt Creech. 
Hon Bill English 
: Is the Minister aware that the statements made by the principal of Hauraki Plains College refer to a couple of students that the statements made by the Associate Minister of Education last year refer to the work of four students and that the box I handed to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority includes the work of at least 25 students; and when is he going to tell the House—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is the only warning today. I now want the member to start the question all over again. 
Hon Bill English 
: Is the Minister aware that public statements made by the principal of Hauraki Plains College refer to “a couple of students” that the Associate Minister’s statements last week refer to four students where the credits have been taken and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority has apparently reviewed the process but that the box I presented to the authority on Friday contains the work of at least 25 students; and when is he going to show more interest in protecting the interests of those students than he is in protecting NCEA and attacking people who occasionally criticise it? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I have done a lot of work on protecting the work of the previous Government on NCEA. People will remember that I deferred the introduction of the NCEA because of the disorganised mess that I was left by Nick Smith. On the substance of the question there were a number of books in the box but not one of those workbooks contained the evidence that was required and that made up the final assessments. That member just made that up. 
Hon Bill English 
: I seek leave to table a letter from Instant Unit Standards which reviewed the assessments concerned. I also seek leave to table anonymous extracts from five scripts contained in that box that give the appearance that five students copied answers into their assessments. 
Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon Steve Maharey 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I would like you to consider this serious issue. Basically what recourse does a Minister have if a member posing a question comes to the House armed with a cardboard box supposedly full of evidence of fraud and when that box is finally surrendered some 24 hours later after repeated requests it is found that absolutely no evidence at all is in that box? What can we do to protect this House against such blatant misrepresentation? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No that is not a point of order. The Minister has many options including a ministerial statement or letters to me couched in a particular way.