King Colin: Education Amendment Bill (No 2) — First Reading 
King Colin: Education Amendment Bill (No 2) — First Reading 
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COLIN KING (National—Kaikoura) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to follow the speaker from the Maori Party who spoke so inspirationally about achievement and where excellence should sit. It is a pleasure to speak in the first reading of the Education Amendment Bill (No 2) and in doing so to be part of an energetic aspirational Government that is making a difference. 
It does not take much to figure out the argument from members opposite. They had 9 years in office and they left a wreck of an education system. When members wax lyrically about what should be done we start to understand that obviously they were not here during the wretched dying days of the previous Labour administration. Those members expounded on why there were changes. The point I make to them is that it is the nanny State provisions in the Education Act 1989 that we are trying to unwind. Those members over there mucked around with and created chaos in the education system. 
We have a hard-working and busy Government at the moment. It is improving the education system and moving it into the 21st century. We heard from the ACT speaker before that there is 30 percent underachievement with regard to literacy and numeracy. This Government is very focused on education. It is very focused on the importance of getting the foundation skills right. This bill goes a step further towards making sure there is a step change in achievement. 
Literacy and numeracy are crucial. They are a foundational requirement. For one’s students to have good literacy and numeracy skills one has to emphasise to one’s students the importance of engagement. That is why we started with the basis of national standards and why we have added to that the Youth Guarantee scheme which enables 16 and 17-year-olds to go into tertiary education and to continue to learn and to develop those skills. Unfortunately what we find on the other side of the House is that the Labour Opposition is running nothing more than obstruction to a lot of the incredibly positive projects coming from the Government at the moment. 
So what will this bill do? Is the next generation a step change? I want to focus on trades academies. Trades academies are very important. If we have a problem in this country—as alluded to by the very able chair of the Education and Science Committee Allan Peachey—it is that we have languished when it comes to valuing technical qualities technical skills and trades. When we look at countries in the OECD that we would like to compare ourselves with we see that they are a country mile ahead of us. 
A comment that could be levelled at the education system is that over the last decade we have had a bias towards academia. New Zealand has undervalued the trades and skills. I am enthusiastic about the Education Amendment Bill (No 2) because it builds the framework of the trades academies. Trades academies are very important. They are the link between compulsory education and the tertiary interface. One example comes to my mind from the time we were going the around the country and listening to the people 3 years ago. The message that came through quite clearly is that unless students can see the relevance and the purpose of education they will invariably disengage from it. It is with great enthusiasm that I support the Education Amendment Bill (No 2). The secondary-tertiary interface and trades academies will build up an ability to hook kids into education because they will see the very relevance of being literate and numerate. 
I take this opportunity to talk about two fantastic people who assisted us in developing the trades academies model. They are Stewart Thompson and Stuart Middleton. We have already seen the success emanating out of the Manukau Institute of Technology. This really does interface with an institute of technology and up to 20-odd other colleges surrounding the South Auckland area. It is a great model and one that we wholeheartedly support. 
When I hear other members in the House say that this bill does nothing for education I totally disagree with them. This bill does an enormous amount for education achievement and people realising their goals and ambitions. It values the skills the trades and the technical ability of people who would otherwise be considered to be less than achievers. This bill is a very positive bill. We will enjoy working with it at the select committee. It is good to see that there is a level of collegiality around it. 
Finally I will address the point raised by the Green member who mentioned the private training establishments and not thinking about students when it comes to the overseas student category of the private training establishments. It became very obvious to us—on this side of the House anyway—that a level of enticement was being used by certain private training establishments to attract away overseas students from those organisations that had committed themselves and had built up a good reputation in attracting overseas students. 
I believe that this legislation is very appropriate and that it will endeavour to address the gulling that goes on in terms of the overseas student situation. The bill will reinforce those people who are prepared to back themselves and build up a good international reputation. It is a pleasure to support the Education Amendment Bill (No 2) during its first reading debate. I support it and I recommend that the House does likewise.