Parata HekiaHon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Perhaps if I just start with that last question first since the member had quite a catalogue of questions. In terms of safety this is something that we are focused on all the time even for the very connectedness of the face-to-face schools. So a number of protocols and supervisory expectations are already applied to schools now and I would expect that in the regulatory regime for communities of online learning those will also be applied.In terms of safety of kids the Vulnerable Children Act requires all those working with children to be vetted for safety and that would be applied here. In terms of the question around registered teachers State and private schools that establish communities of learning will all be required to have registered teachers as is the case now. For those that are not the regime they are currently established under will pertain in that case. In terms of registered teachers just as occurs now for partnership schools the Minister can specify a minimum percentage of teachers who must be registered.Coming to a couple of questions—well actually an observation that Ms Martin made where she was recommending a particular approach to online learning but defining it as confined to within the sector. I think it just comes to a point that I do not agree that there is not value to be gained from drawing from the widest pool available. I know now in fact that not only New Zealand schools but schools worldwide regularly access the Khan Academy and that is a private provider. In New Zealand the Mind Lab or the coding club or many others are not within the sector but nevertheless provide really good-quality learning. I do not see why we would confine the scope of our interest for New Zealand children simply within the sector. I think that applying a tough regime of selection will ensure that the best quality is achieved for our young people.To go back to Mr Hipkins' questions about the Official Information Act and the Ombudsman: the approach we are taking here is that those accountabilities that currently apply to different categories of schools will consistently apply. So for those where businesses may be involved and they are not caught by those provisions and they are approved because they meet the regime then the accountabilities relative to them will be applied.The member may have misapprehended the law in New Zealand but there is no protection from being judicially reviewed and so a Minister of Education—and an experience I have become regrettably somewhat familiar with. The public can be assured that they will retain the right to review a decision of a Minister of Education or indeed any Minister. That is as it should be.Blah-blah—oh fees.Chris Hipkins: Not blah-blah at all. They were good questions.Hon HEKIA PARATA: Sorry I beg your pardon. Ha ha! I beg your pardon. It is just that some of you have asked similar questions and I have answered. I apologise to the Committee.So coming to fees: regulations will be set out for these about what can be charged. For example Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu can currently charge some students and does. Private providers will also be able to do that but again that will be something that is contested in the setting of the regime and in the accreditation.Finally I will repeat—no not finally. The member was also concerned about going outside The New Zealand Curriculum. Well we already have the case in New Zealand where schools offer the University of Cambridge International Examinations or they offer the International Baccalaureate and those are outside The New Zealand Curriculum. We also have kura that offer Te Aho Matua which is not exactly Te Marautanga o Aotearoa but it is outside in some regards.Chris Hipkins: It's additional to rather than instead of.Hon HEKIA PARATA: It is additional to that is right. We are not suggesting that you know we are looking to actively find outside the curriculum. But I just want to remind the member that that diversity already exists in the system and by introducing communities of online learning we are not introducing a new dimension that is not already at play.And then one penultimate—parents choose. Nothing in this bill is saying a parent must use this type of school or that type of school. Parents know their children best and will pick the best option and the best mix of options for them.Rural schools: this is a challenge to us whether we have communities of online learning or not. When the shepherd leaves with her four kids you know that could take two-thirds of the kids from a school. One of the best solutions we have found for this or that we are putting in place is not only to be able to connect in by broadband and so forth but it is also the communities of learning so that they are part of a much bigger critical mass that gives them greater likelihood of being able to survive. So it is an ongoing challenge and none of us have yet hit on exactly the right recipe to resolve that. Thank you.