Macindoe TimHon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Kia ora e Te Kaiwhakahaere. Tēnā koutou e Te Whare. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou mō tēnei Wiki o Te Reo Māori hei whakanuia e tātou.[Good evening to the House. I offer warm greetings as we celebrate Māori Language Week.]I was interested in listening to the New Zealand First member Mark Patterson a moment ago. He seems to be so obsessed with talking about the election for this particular council that he completely failed to discuss what its purpose and function would be. This debate essentially hinges around what will give the best range of skills to meet the requirements of the Teaching Council.I'd like to extend an invitation to his party colleague the Associate Minister of Education to take her opportunity at this stage of the committee to withdraw and apologise for an outrageous slur she has made not once but twice against me suggesting that I told the select committee that anyone can teach. Now as a former teacher I am absolutely convinced that no teacher would ever make such a claim. I have never made such a claim. I have invited Mrs Martin to come and withdraw that ridiculous assertion because I have no idea why she made it and I'm still waiting for her to do so. I believe she's an honourable person and so I hope she will nevertheless take the opportunity.But let me move on because my colleague across the river in Hamilton Jamie Strange was speaking just after the committee stage resumed after dinner and he suggested that the National Party doesn't want teachers on this particular council. Now I found that a bizarre assertion as well. That is of course nonsense and I have to say it's inconceivable that any Minister in making appointments to the council—from whichever party might lead the Government and any parties that might make up a Government in this House—would take such an approach. No Minister would make such exclusive appointments. But again Part 1 of this bill is about ensuring that the Teaching Council—or it should be about ensuring that the Teaching Council—has that range of core skills and competencies that are required to do the very best job. The Labour Party and its partners in this Government when you look at new section 380 inserted by clause 5 in redesigning the composition of the Teaching Council—Simeon Brown: What partners?Hon TIM MACINDOE: Well they have partners in New Zealand First and the Green Party Mr Brown. You've been here for nearly a year and I thought you might have noticed that but anyway.Simeon Brown: They hate each other.Hon TIM MACINDOE: Well I take your point Mr Brown but their obsession here in expanding the membership from nine to 13 includes in new section 380(1)(b) seven elected members. Here you have (i) 1 teacher representing the early childhood education sector elected by teachers from that sector; and (ii) 1 teacher representing the primary education sector elected by teachers from that sector; (iii) 1 teacher representing the secondary education sector elected by teachers from that sector;" one teacher educator "(v) 1 principal representing the primary education sector elected by principals from that sector; and (vi) 1 principal representing the secondary education sector elected by principals from that sector;".Now they're all very fine people but what I think it tells us is that this is a Government that is far more interested in having a little bitsy sector representation right across the board rather than focusing on what the skills are that each of these people will bring to the table. Some of those sectors are already represented and always would be represented on the Teaching Council because as I say no Minister of Education is going to exclude all of their skills and background and professional experience. But to suggest that each and every one must be represented in that way shuts out other people who—and the review in 2012 showed this—could bring to the council the sorts of skills that would really enhance its ability to function as it's intended.I am dumbfounded that this approach from the Labour Party is so concerned with this sort of segmentation that they would overlook the grand picture. I ask the Minister therefore to take a call and to explain why such a prescriptive model is likely to produce that range of skills that is required as opposed to just achieving the sector representation set out in that section.As I say the 2012 review found that there was a need—[Time expired]"