English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:624;Page:19163] 
12.  
Hon BILL ENGLISH (National—Clutha-Southland) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Does he agree with the statement made by the Hon Steve Maharey in 2003 that “The Tertiary Education Commission will bring clear strategic direction to the system as a whole … It is very important to ensure that our research efforts and our student enrolments are concentrated in areas of high performance and high strategic relevance.”; if so does he think the Tertiary Education Commission is doing a good job? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 Of course and it is getting there. 
Hon Bill English 
: Can the Minister explain why he decided to allocate funding from the Strategic Priorities Fund to a course in homeopathy for pets and why that is more important than funding more apprenticeships? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Firstly I did not make the former decision; nor did any Minister. It is a bit rich to have members of the previous National Government which abolished apprenticeships saying that we should spend more when this Government has spent more on apprenticeships every single year—7500 Modern Apprenticeships—than that Government and the Opposition says it will scrap them and put those kids on the dole. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: What particular actions has the Tertiary Education Commission taken up to this point in time to focus enrolments to meet the tertiary strategy and is it not true that all we have seen thus far is a continuation of National’s “bums on seats” policy? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I would like to thank the member for asking that question and indicate that the member on the Government side of the House who was going to ask a supplementary question does not need to do so because it has been asked. The Performance-based Research Fund has helped to ensure that the universities now focus on research excellence not just on “bums on seats” as was the approach of the previous National Government. Funding for industry training has doubled. We have Modern Apprenticeships—opposed by and to be scrapped by the National Party if it ever gets into Government—and the number of people who are participating in degree programmes is continuing to increase. 
Hon Bill English 
: Can the Minister confirm that another of his strategic priorities that has received funding from the Strategic Priorities Fund is a course called the art of health which includes “understanding … the effect of colour on the human soul.” and “Metamorphosis and Transition” which “will be— 
Jill Pettis 
: Metamorphosis! 
Hon Bill English 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Yes I agree. There is to be no comment. Would the member please apologise. 
Jill Pettis 
: I apologise. 
Hon Bill English 
: I will start again. Can the Minister confirm that another of his strategic priorities funded with public money from the Strategic Priorities Fund is a course called the art of health which includes an “understanding of the effect of colour on the human soul.” and “Metamorphosis and Transition” which “will be explored … through transition in colour and movement as well as through Myth Fairy Tale or poetry.” and that a further strategic priority is a course called “Dynamic line drawing” as “a means of exploring the 4 elements … as a basis of all form”? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I am not able to confirm all of that but I can say that there is some relationship between colours and how people feel. Blue is the National colour. Some people do believe in fairy tales: Bill English who wants to be leader. And line drawing is a good indication of how the National polling is going down. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: How can the Minister express confidence in the integrity of enrolments and their strategic relevance in light of the Whakatane-based wananga enrolling many kaumatua including an 82-year-old in a taxpayer-funded course in elementary te reo when all those people were fluent in te reo and were in fact even more fluent than the tutor even to the point where they were so fluent they did not need to attend the course? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: It does not seem to be a good case of needs-based education. 
Hon Bill English 
: How does the Minister explain his decisions to fund courses on homeopathy for pets and on fixing people by means of poetry to groups like the parents of autistic children who have waited 5 years for some Government movement on a better service for children with autism and have got precisely nothing? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I am quite prepared to brief them on the progress that has been made in that area and in special education generally. The member is quite wrong. If one is worried about pets and other dumb animals one just needs to look to the Opposition. 
Hon Bill English 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Standing Orders make it quite clear that some things are not to be included in answers including gratuitous insults. I ask that the member withdraw and apologise for his final remark in that answer. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Bill English 
: I seek leave to table the list of courses approved under the Minister for funding from the Strategic Priorities Fund including homeopathy for pets the art of health course a course on nail technology and other courses. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is. It will not be tabled. 
Hon Bill English 
: I seek leave to table material describing the content of the course called the art of health funded from the Strategic Priorities Fund. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is. It will not be tabled. 
Hon Bill English 
: I seek leave to table details of the content of the Diploma of Homeopathy (Animal Health) funded from the Strategic Priorities Fund. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: I seek leave to table a schedule of enrolled persons who were funded for an elementary te reo course in Whakatane many of whom were identified as fluent speakers in te reo. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is. The document will not be tabled.