Grigg NicolaNICOLA GRIGG (National—Selwyn): Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise to continue the National Party's opposition to this bill the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 2). I'm yet to hear one solid defence from that side of the House as to why New Zealanders should sign up to this idea of network planning for the early childhood education (ECE) sector. Erica Stanford made a really pertinent comment earlier about choice. This bill does nothing but remove choice from families and from communities around New Zealand. If I think specifically of my own electorate of Selwyn we've got 55 ECE providers there at the moment. We are the fastest growing region in New Zealand. The numbers that I hear bandied around about kids that are lining up waiting for ECE centres to come online are quite scary in a funny old way. But these provisions within this bill are going to give the Minister the ability to set and change any conditions to an ECE licence approval that he sees fit at any time. What gives the Minister the right to assume that position? This is a classic Labour we know best" approach to everything. This is the long arm of the Government reaching into our communities and messing around with private providers and market delivery in this sector. It will have disastrous anti-competitive results and it will reduce the quality of the services provided to the small children of New Zealand. When I speak to providers around my region there are three major concerns that they've had with this bill. One as has been mentioned is the timing. Who on earth would put through a major sector reform during a pandemic other than Andrew Little? Oh Chris Hipkins will as well. Two: the delays caused by COVID supply chain management child space shortages. And three as I've just mentioned is the Minister's unilateral right to revoke pre-approval. All of the fears and concerns that Erica Stanford spoke about so eloquently earlier are playing out in Selwyn and particularly in Rolleston. There is a real cause for fear in providers in Selwyn. I've got an email here from a local operator that I'd just like to quote because it really does say it all: "I can't stress how much pressure we are getting from upset and angry parents because they cannot find childcare to return to work nor have a choice in where they enrol their child due to a minimum of year-long wait lists." I contend that nothing in this bill will alleviate that. Another operator I know has spent three years and close to $5 million building a new centre that has been delayed by COVID and supply chain disruption. It's still yet to be completed. It already has 40 children aged under two enrolled. But like so many others in the building sector they are waiting on jib they've been disrupted and they can't confirm their opening date. They're in the dark around time frames when they can apply for their licences and they worry that their inclusion is going to be risked and they do not want to see their $5 million investment go up in smoke. There is another ECE service near to that that is turning away 15 to 20 children a week. It is as I mentioned the fastest growing region in New Zealand and such prescriptive legislation does not allow for market flexibility. The network management provisions are due to come into force in just a couple of days and many are still in the dark as to how to ensure their licensing will meet the new requirements. I've been privy to quite an extraordinary statement from the Ministry of Education itself and it goes like this: "While there is no guarantee of obtaining a licence to operate under the current system we appreciate that the new network management requirement adds some uncertainty into the process of establishing a new early childhood service. It's our intention to provide the sector with as much information as possible as the policy develops."Well if a Government is going to pass a law like this that is going to send so much uncertainty into the region or into the country you would think that that policy had been developed and was watertight. My time is concluded but I do not commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): I call Sarah Pallett—a five-minute call."