Nash Stuart: Student Loan Scheme (Exemptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Nash Stuart: Student Loan Scheme (Exemptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
[Volume:660;Page:9359] 
STUART NASH (Labour) 
: 
 My colleague Grant Robertson said to me a moment ago: “Get ready to jump up; it sounds like Colin’s winding down.” but he said that from about the first minute of Colin King’s speech. I wonder whether Colin King has any interest in education or whether he was given that speech and told to read it because we are 2 hours early due to the earlier stuff-up in the House. He should show a bit of passion about education. 
I think that education is the most important thing we can do for our children and our communities. That is why I stand now to speak in support of the second reading of the bill. It is hard to believe that the first reading was in August last year. Too many important bills affecting the people of New Zealand have been rushed through the House under urgency since then. Goodness me! We are only into the third week back this year and already we are rushing legislation through the House in what appears to be a slap-hazard way. I assume there must be some sort of plan or logic to the process— 
Chris Hipkins 
: That’s a bold assumption. 
STUART NASH 
: Yes I know. I certainly cannot follow it. I do not know whether Mr Hipkins can. Can anyone follow this? I do not think so. I do not think that the lack of process or progress is what the people of New Zealand voted for. There is a lot of stuff going on at the moment that I do not think the people of New Zealand voted for. 
This bill by and large is a technical bill. The previous speaker said it did not have much substance. Well it does have quite a bit of substance but it is a technical bill. It enshrines a couple of important philosophies that we as the Labour Party strongly value. That is one of the main reasons why I support this bill. The Labour Party has always seen the fostering of the economic development of our Pasifika brothers and sisters as one of its major responsibilities and goals. This bill also builds on Labour’s fantastic law of giving interest-free student loans to all students and what wonderful legislation that was. It was of course as we all know Labour legislation. 
Education has to be the cornerstone of economic development and in my humble opinion the interest-free student loans legislation was one of the greatest pieces of economic development legislation passed in a generation. It certainly passes the Nash test of: “Is it right for the people of New Zealand?”. 
Grant Robertson 
: I thought that was Harry Holland’s. 
STUART NASH 
: In talking of Harry Holland I had to smile last night in this Chamber when Mr Macindoe was putting words into the mouth of the great Harry Holland one of the Labour Party’s great early leaders. I mean no disrespect to the member from somewhere in Hamilton but those who know their political history will know that Mr Macindoe has a few more years of sweating blood for the people of New Zealand before he can even start to speak on behalf of the great Harry Holland. Sir Roger Douglas will know that will he not? Harry Holland was a great man but I digress. 
This bill makes some technical amendments but by and large it does three things. Firstly it allows those from the nations of Niue the Cook Islands and Tokelau and the Ross Dependency who have come to New Zealand to seek educational opportunities to return home in order to put their education and learning into practice. Secondly it provides an incentive to those currently resident in the aforementioned countries to come to New Zealand to be educated and then return home to families friends and jobs while achieving the same advantages as citizens domiciled already in New Zealand. Thirdly it provide opportunities to New Zealand citizens who may wish to travel to Niue the Cook Islands Tokelau or the Ross Dependency in order to pursue professional opportunities for any number of reasons. 
This bill also allows interest-free loans for students engaged in full-time study overseas under a formal exchange programme approved by the New Zealand Government or a formal agreement between a New Zealand education provider and an overseas tertiary education provider. In this day and age of globalisation that is a wonderful thing so I commend the Minister of Revenue for that. 
In my speech in the first reading debate I said I had a grave concern that the National Government would look to repeal the interest-free student loan provisions which would therefore necessitate my being back in this House within 2 years in order to repeal the amended legislation. Well why do we have it? I suppose Mrs Tolley was never going to do it. She had enough problems as it was and loading the repeal of the interest-free student loan scheme upon her already fragile shoulders would probably have just been too much. So Mr Joyce was given the task. Are we surprised? Absolutely not. 
I tell members that as soon as the Labour caucus heard that Mr Joyce was being appointed the Minister for Tertiary Education we knew that it spelt trouble for current and aspiring students. In fact it probably spells trouble for every person who has a student loan and is not paying interest at the moment. But at least Mr Joyce is honest. Well he is honest on this: he said that his supporting the student loan scheme when he was the campaign manager for the National Party was a political call. That is nice! There was no philosophy or idealism behind that; it was a political call. At least we know what he believes in—nothing. 
The irony about National’s planned removal of the interest-free student loans scheme is that the vast majority of members on that side of the House who went through the tertiary education system did so when it was free yet here they are taking away those opportunities for students who now want to study and better themselves. That is amazing actually. 
This bill as it stands is apparently aspirational. With regard to this bill the Minister of Revenue Mr Dunne said: “This is another positive step that will allow people to further their studies overseas in a way that will benefit New Zealand in the longer term.” and I totally agree with the Minister. That is one of the reasons as I said why I am supporting this bill. But with all due respect I ask this question: what about those who live here and want to stay and study in New Zealand? The National Government is about to steal the educational opportunities of thousands of New Zealanders and that is simply not fair. It represents incorrect priorities. Well let us see where the money has been stolen from. We are talking about just money stolen from education here not from elsewhere. There is the $11 million from the training incentive allowance that the Prime Minister Minister English and every other National MP Maori Party MP and ACT MP have stolen from those who can least afford to get into education. That is $11 million gone. I am talking about solo parents who make a proactive choice to engage in education whilst they are bringing up their children. They have suddenly had their opportunities taken away—gone. The Government has cut them out; it is unbelievable. Where are the priorities? That is dreadful. 
What else has been taken away? The guidelines for healthy food in schools have gone. The Government has slashed burnt cut and got rid of that. It has taken that away. Those members have taken away the funding for those who require it most. Where else has the money been taken from? It has been taken from high school night classes. It is unbelievable. Money has been taken from adult and community education. 
Where has the money gone? I can report that about $35 million has gone into private schools and I wonder whether that is fair. Thirty-five million dollars was stolen from the poor and given to the rich. 
Paul Quinn 
: What private school did you go to? 
STUART NASH 
: I tell Mr Quinn that I did not go to a private school. I believe in the State sector. I went to an incredibly good State school. 
This Government is Robin Hood in reverse. We have the modern-day Sheriff of Nottingham or the “Sheriff of Nothing”— 
Paul Quinn 
: Hey! I went to a private school and I’m proud of it. 
STUART NASH 
: And look what it did for that member. Goodness me! I would not mention the school’s name if I were Mr Quinn because it would be embarrassed to have him as an alumni; there is no doubt about that. 
What else is this Government doing? It is raising GST to 15 percent. That will help everyone will it not? I just cannot understand the logic. So $11 million has been taken from the training incentive allowance and $13 million has been taken from adult and community education classes yet $35 million has been given to private schools. Yeah that is about equality is it not? 
Amy Adams 
: At least they teach their kids to read. 
STUART NASH 
: Wow! That is an interesting assertion is it not? That member said that State schools do not teach their children to read but private schools do. That is a damning indictment on the teachers who teach in the State education sector. Imagine saying that; it is unbelievable. The reason that member would not send her children to a State school is that only the private sector teaches children to read—the State sector does not. I can inform the member that that is not true at all. The State sector has some of the best teachers in this country and it does an amazing job. I take that as a slight against every teacher who teaches in the State sector. It is unbelievable. 
National has never had a mandate or a belief system and that has just proven it. That is why those members can slash and burn and make those sorts of comments to such an extent without any conscience. I can tell this House that under the next Prime Minister the Hon Phil Goff Labour will bring principled spending back to education. We believe as we have always believed—it is what the Labour Party stands for—that the people of New Zealand demand and require the sound education system they had under Labour. The Government side of the House is taking away opportunities. This bill though provides opportunities and that is why I commend it to the House. Thank you.