Ngaro Alfred: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNgaro Alfred: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 30 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:3075. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]9.ALFRED NGARO (National)to the Minister of Education: How is the Government ensuring that Māori and Pasifika children are engaged in education from an early age?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education):This morning I was pleased to announce an increase in the proportion of Māori and Pasifika children participating in early childhood education before starting school. In the 3 years to March 2015 Māori participation increased by 3.5 percentage points and Pasifika by 4.8 percentage points. So that means that the Māori participation rate now stands at 93.8 percent and the Pasifika rate at 91 percent. Although we know there is more to do this means that more of our earliest learners are getting a stronger start on educational success.Alfred Ngaro: How does this increase in early childhood education participation rates help young New Zealanders achieve educational success?Hon HEKIA PARATA: It is clear that those children who start behind too often stay behind. That is why our Government has set a Better Public Services target that 98 percent of children starting school in 2016 will have participated in quality early childhood education. Regular participation in quality early childhood education significantly increases a child’s chance of future educational success particularly for children from vulnerable families. Since 2007-08 this Government’s spending on early childhood education has almost doubled to $1.6 billion. We know that there is still more work to be done and we will continue to do it especially with vulnerable communities to ensure that their children get the best start in life.Catherine Delahunty: Will she guarantee that as a result of her attendance targets no Māori or Pasifika child from a “vulnerable community” will be recruited for a low-quality early childhood education service?Hon HEKIA PARATA: As the member may know the Government’s role in the provision of early childhood education resources is to license centres and to provide the subsidy to parents. Parents then have the option of taking their children to a teacher-led centre-based or home-led parent-based early childhood education provider. Māori and Pasifika parents should not be denied the opportunity of that choice either.Catherine Delahunty: I seek leave to table an Official Information Act response from December 2014 by Ministry of Education officials warning that 36000—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The document—[Interruption] Order! The member will resume her seat. The document has been described. There is no need to then read out the contents of the document. I will put the leave. It is the answer to an Official Information Act request. Is there any objection to it being tabled?Catherine Delahunty: Supplementary—Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no objection. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Catherine Delahunty: Given concerns raised by her ministry the Education Review Office and two task forces that low-quality early childhood education is more harmful than good for vulnerable children will she stop targeting children from vulnerable communities until she is certain that services are up to scratch?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The member makes an assumption that there are low-quality services all around New Zealand. In the 2 years to February 2015 the Education Review Office conducted I think 1539 reviews of early childhood centres of which it found just 12 not meeting the requirement—less than 1 percent—and for every one of those 12 the ministry has intervened.Catherine Delahunty: I seek leave to table an Official Information Act request showing that officials believe that vulnerable—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! I am not even prepared to put the leave. I have just corrected the member telling her that she describes the document and to not start to read out the content.