11. Earthquake Kaikōura—Secondary School ExamsCHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) to the Minister of EducationEarthquake Kaikōura—Secondary School Exams11. CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) to the Minister of Education: When did she first discuss the potential impact of Monday's 7.5 earthquake on NCEA and Scholarship exams with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Although my first direct contact with the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) was at approximately 8 a.m. I was in continuous contact from approximately 6 a.m. with the Acting Secretary for Education on the status of schools including the likely impact on examinations. I was concerned to ensure one source of coordination to minimise operational distraction in what was a very fluid situation.Chris Hipkins: Why did she not ask the New Zealand Qualifications Authority to postpone all of Monday's exams at first light that day when it was clear that there was extensive but unquantified damage that serious aftershocks were continuing that many students had had little sleep and that thousands were anxious for their relatives' safety?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I was relying on the technical expertise of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and their experience through the Christchurch earthquakes. The advice I received from them was that 48500 students were sitting NCEA that day of which in the areas directly affected by the earthquakes something like just over 13500 students could have or might have been affected. Their concern which I share was that although three-quarters of students were not in the areas directly affected by the earthquakes they too would not be put at a disadvantage by the examinations being cancelled for all of them when there was a process to deal with those who might be.Chris Hipkins: Does she think it is fair that students who had studied hard for an exam because they needed a good result in order to get NCEA for their future study and employment are either denied the opportunity to sit or have to sit when they are sleep deprived and are still being shaken by aftershocks?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The emergency derived grade process which was the one that was used in the greater Christchurch area and is used for exceptional emergency situations relies on the school using the assessments throughout the year to make the case.Hon Trevor Mallard: There were no quakes during the NCEA exams in Christchurch. That's just not true—just not true.Hon HEKIA PARATA: It is true that that is the process that is used and that is the process that is being applied here.Chris Hipkins: Why is she claiming that the derived grade process was used following the Christchurch earthquakes which were in September and February when there were no NCEA exams?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I am not claiming it; I am stating it on the advice of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Where students' academic records might be affected by an emergency or exceptional circumstances this is the process that is in place and was used during the greater Christchurch earthquakes.Chris Hipkins: Is she aware that the derived grade process will penalise those students whose internal assessments through the year do not necessarily reflect their true abilities because they may not have been as prepared and they may have been relying on their exams to get them through their NCEA?Hon HEKIA PARATA: In this situation we are weighing up the fact that three-quarters of students were not in the areas directly affected by earthquakes. Secondly we know that schools are interested in the best results for their students and will be making cases based on that.Chris Hipkins: Will she commit to ensuring that those students who had to sit NCEA exams on Monday during the aftershocks and that those unable to sit the exams that they had been scheduled to sit on Monday will be given an opportunity to sit a fresh exam before the end of the year; if not why not?Hon HEKIA PARATA: No; because that is not the advice I have received from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority which is the expert on this. It is not a matter of political intervention to determine the academic results of students. That is why we have an independent qualifications authority that operates with integrity and that is respected for that and it will ensure along with the schools of these students that it does the best by them.Chris Hipkins: Will the completed examination papers of the students who completed scholarship exams on Monday that had already been cancelled be marked as NZQA has advised on Twitter; if so how will those results be fairly compared with those of students who will be sitting a different exam at a later date?Hon HEKIA PARATA: This is an area that I have asked for advice on from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and I am expecting to receive that advice.Chris Hipkins: How is it fair to set different exams for different students at different times given that the results of scholarship exams determine the allocation of awards that can be worth tens of thousands of dollars to each student?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I imagine that the irony of the member promoting exactly that course for the NCEA exams now opposing it for the scholarship exams has not been lost on this House. Again I will reiterate that the New Zealand Qualifications Authority takes its role extremely seriously and will ensure in discussions with schools that they arrive at the best result in what has been an unanticipated exceptional emergency situation.