King Colin: Education Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading 
King Colin: Education Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading 
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COLIN KING (National—Kaikoura) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to rise and speak to the second reading of the Education Amendment Bill (No 2). This bill is another part of this Government’s relentless push towards educational excellence which is certainly is a priority for this Government. There is a lot of work to be done. We spend $12 billion on behalf of the taxpayer to ensure that all children have access to excellence in education and we recognise the importance of that money being spent wisely. We do value early childhood education; we spend at least $1.3 billion on it. We have taken approximately $100 million out of the Budget to prioritise increased participation because we know that there are areas in New Zealand where as many as 24 percent of children are not yet engaging in the very very important foundation of early childhood education. 
I would like to focus on the work the bill addresses. We have heard from members on the other side of the House that secondary-tertiary educational programmes are alive and thriving. I would say that there is a major issue in this area. We have failed miserably. We have focused on basically an academic pathway and we have neglected the better part of 70 percent of hands-on learners in our schools. I believe that the way this bill is structured will empower a level of cooperation. It gives a very clear message about what we expect that relationship to look like. 
The reason why it has not happened as far as I can see is that there is an issue over where the money goes. It is a real tragedy that when we look at a country that is considered a First World economy we do not have an abundance of money to be able to spend and prioritise in this particular area. We have to spend it very carefully because even though we spend $12 billion on education it is spread quite thinly. 
Whenever I talk to tertiary providers and colleges I hear that the colleges are very keen to see some of their children go across into high-quality tertiary education with hands-on skills that lead to apprenticeships and high-quality trades. But it comes down to a question of where the money goes. I must mention the Manukau Institute of Technology and Stuart Middleton who has worked relentlessly on behalf of hands-on learners and who focuses his attention on how he can best do that. I think he will be very satisfied with this. 
This Government has really focused on the youth guarantee which relates to 16 and 17-year-olds. Hands-on learners are fascinated with learning. They have to have opportunities opened up to them where they can engage and get their hands on things. They design build and then understand why they must drill a hole in the right space in respect of measurement and maths. They also have to be able to read and interpret plans and designs. 
This bill takes us to another level. The Government has set a goal of starting at least five trades academies by 2011. I encourage everyone in the House to really get behind the initiative because the biggest destructive aspect in education often is the politics. If we could get rid of the politics and get the cooperation going we would certainly be doing a lot better. 
I want to touch on an issue that is mentioned in Labour’s minority report. It talks about giving people privilege over one another and it probably illustrates where we in the Government differ from the Opposition. When we turn to the Education Act 1989 we see section 11F “How to select applicants who live outside home zone”. Subsection (1) states: “The order of priority in which applicants who live outside a school’s home zone are to be offered places at the school is as follows:”. The Opposition was saying that schools will manipulate their zones to exclude certain people and get the people they want. Well members on this side of the House do not feel that that will be abused. That is a difference between the Government and the Opposition. 
This is a very positive bill. It is relentlessly pushing forward to educational excellence and I am pleased that the Government has had the internal fortitude to really make sure that tertiary education takes centre stage. I have pleasure in commending this bill to the House.