11. Māori and Pasifika Students—Student Achievement and HomeownershipJENNY SALESA (Labour—Manukau East) to the Minister of EducationMāori and Pasifika Students—Student Achievement and Homeownership11. JENNY SALESA (Labour—Manukau East) to the Minister of Education: Does she take any responsibility for the poor education that Hon Dr Nick Smith says is partly to blame for falling rates of Māori and Pasifika home ownership?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. I consider it helpful to the House to quote the Hon Dr Smith's full comment which was: The fact that our Māori and Pacific people have lower rates of home ownership is just a broader reflection of the fact that they tend to have lower educational achievement that they have lower incomes and that translates itself into housing." It is not an excuse; it is simply saying that good education—reinforcing the importance of that for Māori and Pacific communities helping them be able to achieve higher incomes—as well as direct assistance around housing is all part of the solution to turn these long-term declines around. I do take responsibility along with all my colleagues on this side of the House for raising educational achievement for all young people. We know that gains in educational achievement means gains in economic success. Under this Government the provisional number of 18-year-olds with National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2 has increased for all young people and the data shows that the largest gains have been made by Māori and Pasifika students up 62 percent and 54 percent respectively since we took Government. I would put this Government's record up against that previous Government's record any day of the week. Jenny Salesa: Does she think it is acceptable for a Minister to respond to a story about falling homeownership by blaming lower educational achievement when educational achievement for both Māori and Pasifika has been rising for the past 25 years?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Actually under that previous Government—we now have 26 to 33-year-olds who are struggling and they were educated under that Government. However the point of accurately quoting my colleague was to fully explain that there was no blame attribution; it was simply factual. Lower educational qualifications lead to lower incomes which leads to lower possibility of participating. That is why under this Government we have been focused on raising it not wringing our hands and shouting abuse.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question has been answered. Jenny Salesa: Does she think that when Nick Smith was making that statement he was referring to her performance in delivering 11500 more young Pasifika not in employment education or training?Hon HEKIA PARATA: No she does not think that and if the Opposition wants to ask questions about other members' quotes why do they not direct them to them instead of this silly game here. I am proud of our Government's record—[Interruption] It is silly; selectively choosing parts of a quote is just silly. I will say again: I would put our Government's record in terms of education in general and Māori and Pasifika in particular against that—including that last night in Auckland McAuley High School with a high Pasifika girl population was selected as the winner of the Prime Minister's Supreme Award. Jenny Salesa: Does she believe that Nick Smith was just endorsing Bill English's statement that a lot of young Kiwis are "pretty damned hopeless"; if so why?Hon HEKIA PARATA: No she does not believe that. I am sorry that member holds such inaccurate beliefs herself. Jenny Salesa: Has she discussed the Minister's comments with him; if so did she advise him to stop blaming Māori and Pasifika and to instead just start building houses?Mr SPEAKER: Either of those two supplementary questions.Hon HEKIA PARATA: I did discuss it with my colleague and I totally agree with him that in order to raise economic participation we have to raise educational achievement. That is why this Government has focused on doing exactly that. That is why we have seen the 62 percent and 54 percent gains. They are higher than anything ever produced under that previous Government."