9. Question No. 9—EducationHon NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) to the Minister of EducationQuestion No. 9—Education9. Hon NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) to the Minister of Education: Is she confident of the Government's spending priorities in the education portfolio?Hon TRACEY MARTIN (Acting Minister of Education): Yes but is she confident in the previous Government's spend—SPEAKER: Order! What we're going to have is that answer again—a straight answer without a flick.Hon TRACEY MARTIN: Yes.Hon Nikki Kaye: Why did the Government prioritise $2.8 billion for tertiary students instead of providing adequate funding to get a settlement for primary teachers?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: First of all there was no negotiation for a settlement for primary teachers at the time that this Government passed the $2.8 billion for students. Secondly many of the students are actually teachers and this Government believes that taking away crippling debt from our young people is worthy.Hon Nikki Kaye: If primary teachers reject the Government's offer today will she prioritise spending for parents who can't take time off work or find childcare during the strikes?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: It would be pre-emptive of me to decide what the NZEI will do with the negotiations they are currently in.Hon Nikki Kaye: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was not—SPEAKER: It was a hypothetical question. There's no requirement to answer it.Hon Nikki Kaye: Will she reverse the Government's new position regarding delaying maternity grants to teachers given the harsh impact on new mums and dads?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: It would be irresponsible of me to discuss negotiations in this House and I would have thought a previous Minister of Education would actually know that.Hon Nikki Kaye: Will the Government prioritise additional spending to ensure parents do not face multiple primary and secondary strikes over the coming months.Hon TRACEY MARTIN: It would be irresponsible for a Minister in this House to stand up and talk about negotiations and other money or any other thing while there are negotiations under way and I would have thought a previous Minister of Education would have known that.Jan Tinetti: What investment has this Government made to address the teacher supply pressures that had built up over nine years?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: When we took office teachers were demoralised and many of them had left the profession; the number of young people going into teacher training had dropped by 40 percent; and classrooms were regularly doubled up as teachers couldn't be found to fill the places. To date we have funded over 1000 enrolments in the Teacher Education Refresh Programme to remove the cost barriers so teachers can stay in and return to teaching. We have seen the approval of almost 190 overseas relocation grants. We've expanded the Auckland Beginning Teacher Project to sixty places in 2018 and a further 60 in 2019. We've increased the numbers of new teachers training through Teach First to 80 in 2018 and in 2019 and made 300 teachers who started their teaching in 2018 eligible for the Voluntary Bonding Scheme. This is a start to what we are doing to assist to repair the damage done over the last nine years.