Donald Rod: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Donald Rod: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:615;Page:11288] 
3.  
ROD DONALD (Co-Leader—Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Will he cancel the current round of school reviews following the report in the  
Southland Times 
 that a meeting of Invercargill representatives of primary and secondary schools education unions and the city council “felt it was inappropriate to proceed with anything assisting with the review such as making submissions or collecting data.”; if not why not? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 No. The Invercargill community has gone through the process and many people in the area are now seriously looking ahead to grasp the opportunities they will get when the changes are implemented. I have said I will look very closely and carefully at submissions before I make my final decisions. If people choose not to give me additional submissions then they will be at some disadvantage. 
Rod Donald 
: Will the Minister concede that his decision to suspend future school reviews has galvanised opposition to the current round of closures and does he now agree that it would be more sensible to extend the moratorium to the 11 districts currently under review? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Yes and no. 
Dr Ashraf Choudhary 
: What are the potential benefits of completing the school reviews in Invercargill? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Currently there are over 3500 spare spaces for students in Invercargill schools. The sum of $33 million will be freed up if those proposals proceed. 
Katherine Rich 
: Why should Invercargill parents and kids be disadvantaged just because their school reviews fell on the wrong side of two bad polls for his Government? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Invercargill parents will be advantaged by having a higher quality of education through funding that is currently being wasted on maintaining empty buildings and unused grounds being made available for extra teachers computers teacher-aides and other things that will enhance education. 
Pita Paraone 
: Notwithstanding the Minister’s response to the reviews being conducted in the Invercargill area will the Minister consider reviewing the position with regard to the Kawakawa-Moerewa area in order to meet the aspirations of the Ngati Hine people to have an educational institution of which they can have a sense of ownership; if not why not? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Yesterday when I responded to that question both that member and the member sitting in front of him who knows the issues very well were supportive of the direction I was taking. 
Bernie Ogilvy 
: Does the Minister agree with the view of Business and Economic Research Ltd that the current round of school reviews “appear to have little relationship to the economic development strategy of the appropriate region”; if not can he confirm that at no stage during the review process was he briefed by officials from the Ministry of Economic Development as stated by Jim Anderton in a response to a written question? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I have had discussions with people from Business and Economic Research Ltd. I have had a look at economic impact reports. I have seen indicators for South Canterbury for example which 2 years ago had 4 percent growth in domestic product but a 4 percent drop in the number of school-age kids. There is a relationship and I think the relationship is that strong schools mean that people want to go to areas and schools that are tipping over mean that they want to leave. 
Rod Donald 
: In the face of threatened legal action and civil disobedience from school boards teachers and civic leaders to his plans to close 71 schools would it not be less stressful on all concerned if he extended the moratorium? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I cannot protect people from self-inflicted stress from their taking legal action. 
Rod Donald 
: Finally does he not agree that it would be better to cancel the current round of reviews and focus the available resources on ensuring a smooth transition for those schools that do want to close in the light of his statement yesterday that it will be impossible to get the builders necessary to do all the work to have the schools open for January next year? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I think the member should take a lot of care in generalising from a very specific comment about an affected area.