Turei Metiria: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTurei Metiria: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 11 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:8926. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister of Education: Does she agree with the findings of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment Report that “the socio-economic status of students is probably the most important risk factor associated with low academic performance”?Hon NIKKI KAYE (Associate Minister of Education) on behalf of theMinister of Education: The Government is pleased with this report as it reinforces the general approach that there is a range of risk factors involved with student achievement to help our most vulnerable students. However I do not agree with the member that the statement that she references is an exact finding of the report. If she looks at the executive summary she will see that the report says analyses show that “Poor performance at age 15 is not the result of any single factor but rather of a combination and accumulation of various barriers and disadvantages”.Metiria Turei: Does the Minister dispute the findings from the report and the quote that “the socio-economic status of students is probably the most important risk for children in their academic achievement”? That is what the report said.Hon NIKKI KAYE: As I said in my first answer I do not agree that it is a specific finding of the report. There are recommendations in the report which I am happy to take the member through and further supplementaries on what the Government is doing in terms of those recommendations but I think that if you read the report—the 212 pages of it—it looks at all of the risk factors working together. Minister Parata has just been in Gisborne today announcing a new programme called Year 9 Plus which takes into account the range of risk factors and we believe that is the best approach.Metiria Turei: Why did the percentage of New Zealand kids in the poorest households who were performing at the lowest levels increase from 28 percent to 42 percent between 2009 and 2012 under this Government?Hon NIKKI KAYE: I would have to look at the specific—Metiria Turei: You said you had the specific report.Hon NIKKI KAYE: Well I would have to look at the specific figures that she is quoting but what I can say to the member is that when you look at the report and the cohort of children that is being considered in the data a lot of these children actually started school in 2003. Since that time our Government has been very focused on supporting our most vulnerable kids from the fact that we have been investing in obviously breakfast in schools—6 million breakfasts for children. We have been focused on Māori and Pacific achievement. We have more children more Māori and Pacific young people than ever before in early childhood education so my point is that since 2003 we have had huge initiatives focusing on our most vulnerable.Metiria Turei: Given that the report shows that most other OECD countries have managed to break the link between socio-economic background and educational achievement why has the Minister and this Government failed to do so for New Zealand kids?Hon NIKKI KAYE: I do not agree with the statement that the member has just made. In fact there is a statement in the report—I will get her the quote after I leave the House if she likes—where it says it is very important to acknowledge that there is real diversity in each of the different nations that are being compared. And actually I think a key aspect of this report is saying: “Let’s look at the specific risk factors rather than have a simplistic debate.” Let us look at the fact that it does matter in terms of language it does matter in terms of access to food and it does matter in terms of good teachers. We have to take a much more complex approach. These are complex issues and our children deserve that we do that.David Seymour: Is it not also true that the same report says and recommends that countries’ education systems “identify low performance”; and what is this Government doing about that?Hon NIKKI KAYE: I do note that one of the recommendations of the report is that we actually need to know where these children who are specifically low performingare. One of the key initiatives that we have implemented which has been opposed by Opposition parties is national standards. We know where these children are we are now resourcing more than ever before where we need to in numeracy and literacy and we are putting more resource into them. We would not be able to do that if we did not have national standards.Metiria Turei: Does the Minister dispute the OECD finding that in New Zealand the very poorest kids are more than six times as likely to do badly in maths as the very richest kids in this country?Hon NIKKI KAYE: I will make three points. The first is that we welcome this report because we actually believe all of the recommendations. We are doing a whole lot of things to address those recommendations. The second thing I would say is that we do not agree with the member that the statement that she quotes is a key finding of the report. And the third point that I would make is that my understanding is it is not six times; it is three times. Finally we want to work together to make sure that we continue to invest in order to help our most vulnerable students.Metiria Turei: Why is this yet another Minister—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can we just have the question please.Metiria Turei: —thank you—who is choosing to override the very clear evidence that poverty-related effects on children mean that they are failing to perform as expected? Those poverty-related effects are things like cold damp homes and not having enough food and insecure housing—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Now the question is going on for too long. Bring the question to a conclusion.Metiria Turei: —in the policies that this Government is making and the failure to address the needs of those children. Why are you refusing to—Mr SPEAKER: Order!Hon NIKKI KAYE: I just do not agree with the statements that the member has made. We said we welcome the report. Actually there is a lot more that we need to continue to do to help our most vulnerable students and we have done more than any other Government actually. Whether it is insulating homes for some of our most disadvantaged New Zealanders whether it is raising benefits which will kick in in April whether it is targeting Māori and Pacific students or whether it is breakfast in schools—6 million of them—we are doing that. And I think that this report actually confirms when you look at all the recommendations that it is a complex area and you need to address all of the risk factors—not quote things like “it’s about poverty” but look at the real detail and address that specifically.