8. Early Childhood Education—FundingCHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) to the Minister of EducationEarly Childhood Education—Funding8. CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) to the Minister of Education: Is she satisfied that early childhood education services are getting all the funding they need to deliver quality education and care for children?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): We would all always want more funding and of course there has been more—100 percent more for early childhood education (ECE). Our children's educational outcomes improve significantly when they are able to benefit from quality early learning. That is why this Government is committed to ensuring as many of our earliest learners as possible are participating in quality ECE options. This has seen the numbers of children attending ECE climbing consistently since 2008—it is now at 96.7 percent—and by making sure we have the funding to match. This Government as I have already said has almost doubled ECE funding since 2008 to a record $1.8 billion. We also want childcare to be accessible and since 2008 access to ECE has become 33.5 percent more affordable.Chris Hipkins: Why does she continue to spread the misrepresentation that early childhood education funding is increasing when on a per child per year basis the Ministry of Education's own documents suggest that the funding has fallen by over $500 per year per child from over $10000 to less than $9500 per child per year?Hon HEKIA PARATA: It is not a misrepresentation to the member. The facts are very clear that the Government has doubled the amount that was available in 2008—from I think about $780 million to $1.79 billion now. I do not think it takes much—Chris Hipkins: There's more kids.Hon HEKIA PARATA: There are but there are not more kids in the way that the member is—and actually we want there to be more kids. That is why we have a Better Public Services target; that is why we are at 96.7 percent.Chris Hipkins: Does she believe that cutting more than $500 per child per year from early childhood education services funding makes it easier or harder for parents to meet the cost of their kids' early childhood education?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The Government has not done that.Chris Hipkins: Why has her Government cut more than $528 million from early childhood education during its tenure in office by removing the top funding band for services that offer the highest quality early childhood education by employing the most qualified staff?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I do not have the number readily to hand regrettably but under this Government the number of qualified teachers in early childhood education has risen significantly more than it did under that Government with a policy that it was never going to meet.Chris Hipkins: What have been the educational benefits of removing the funding band for early childhood services that employ 100 percent qualified teachers?Hon HEKIA PARATA: This Government has doubled funding for early childhood education. It has committed to ensuring that as many young people participate in education as possible. It has provided support to failing early childhood centres. It has ensured that more Māori and Pasifika those least likely to attend are now attending. We are currently in a consultation about the refresh of Te Whāriki the curriculum that underpins early childhood education to ensure that the quality outcomes that all of us see—Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I allowed the Minister's answer to go on for a long time—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can I have the point of order please.Chris Hipkins: —because I was hoping that she would address the question that I asked but she has not in any way come even close to the question that I asked.Mr SPEAKER: I was listening very carefully as well. I think on this occasion she has when I consider the question essentially was What is the education advantage?". A wide question like that gives the Minister a fairly wide ambit in answering it; the Minister took that opportunity.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: I have ruled on that matter. If the member has a fresh point of order I am happy to hear it but I am not happy—Chris Hipkins: You might not have heard the last part of the question which was about the educational benefits of cutting a particular strand of funding.Mr SPEAKER: I took that into account when I gave my consideration.Chris Hipkins: Which of the following best reflects her Government's achievements in early childhood education: the fact that the cost to parents for their children's early childhood education has been rising at up to 7 times the rate of inflation; the fact that there have been increasing complaints from staff working in early childhood education that they feel like they are "factory farming … children"; or her failure to reach her own Government's participation targets?Hon HEKIA PARATA: None of those; they reflect the negative attitude of the Opposition. As far as our Government goes childcare is increasingly affordable in New Zealand. In the year to March 2016 the cost of childcare relative to earnings decreased by 2.2 percent. In April 2016 the childcare subsidy was increased from $4 to $5 an hour. Around 41000 families and 49000 children will benefit from this change each year. The affordability of ECE as at March 2016 has become 1.9 percent more affordable than in March 2011 when considering CPI and average annual earning increases. I could go on but basically the member should improve his numeracy. How can there possibly be a cut when the dollars have doubled?"