Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 21 February 2007. Volume:637;Page:7535. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
1.  
MOANA MACKEY (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: What reports has he received on the administration of the 2006 National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) examinations? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Education) 
: 
 I am informed that students sat 1.9 million papers marked by 1920 markers and watched over by 4000 exam supervisors and that results have been turned round faster than ever before. As with a process of this size individual issues have arisen. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority has dealt with those swiftly and appropriately. I am therefore very pleased to say along with the sector that the 2006 examination season has gone smoothly and we can be proud of our examination system. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Has the Minister been able to sort out yet the two cases raised in the House yesterday by Katherine Rich? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: In the House yesterday Katherine Rich asked me without notice about two students whom she asserted had been receiving bad service from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. I asked her to provide me with case details but unfortunately she did not do that. However the authority has informed me that both of those students’ cases had already been fixed prior to the question being asked yesterday. If the member had a genuine concern about those students rather than attempting to run stunts like those of her leader she could have asked questions through the normal channels and she would have found that both of those cases had been dealt with appropriately. 
Katherine Rich 
: Is it not disturbing that a Minister who earns over $200000 a year has not got better things to do than to arrange lame patsy questions to himself about how supposedly I have got it wrong when yesterday’s questions were based on written advice from his own officials; if his own officials have been scurrying about fixing the issues that I raised yesterday in the House how come one of the students I have spoken to has heard nothing about her inquiry except for an email that confirms she will have to wait until April-May before she gets her corrected results? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: If the Opposition spokesperson on education knew anything about the NCEA she would know that all students get their final results in April which is when this student will get it. She would also know that the results are updated on the Net daily which is why students are referred to the Net. That of course is why it is important for me on my salary to clarify these issues—because people like Mrs Rich occupy positions but do not understand their portfolio. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: What advice would the Minister give to schools students or parents who want to discuss aspects of NCEA results? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The advice I would give them is not to ring Opposition spokespeople like Bill English and Katherine Rich because they never understand their own portfolio. They always end up exploiting and misrepresenting the cases of individuals they always name but whose cases they never understand. People should go to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and have their case dealt with appropriately and swiftly.