Ardern Jacinda: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeArdern Jacinda: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 25 March 2015. Volume:704;Page:2570. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.JACINDA ARDERN (Labour)to the Minister of Internal Affairs: How will his decision to cut funding by $392000 a year to the specialist non-fiction service provided by the National Library affect access to educational resources for rural schools?Hon PETER DUNNE (Minister of Internal Affairs):The member’s question is based on a false premise. There has been no cut in funding to the National Library nor have I ordered one. The service that she is referring to will be an enhanced service ensuring that more books and resources from the National Library go to more schools rather than sitting on the library shelves in Wellington gathering dust.Jacinda Ardern: If there has been no cut why is the National Library claiming it will save $392000 through these proposed changes and that it will loan up to half the number of books that it currently loans under the specialist non-fiction service?Hon PETER DUNNE: There are two points. The National Library currently loans around 655000 books per annum. That will continue in the future. As to the argument about this alleged cut there has been as I said no cut. [Interruption] She is now changing her language to “savings”—it is a bit like changing from black to white. It shows economic illiteracy. The reality is that there has been an estimate provided by the library which has yet to be quantified that there would be a saving of around that figure from this new service. But the point of the matter is there have been no cuts ordered. This is about enhancing the service offered to schools and it will be better all round.Jacinda Ardern: At what point will all schools be in a position to take advantage of digital resources equally given the digital divide that many of our rural and low-decile schools face in regard to information and communications technology resources; and will it be in time for these dramatic changes?Hon PETER DUNNE: Around 90 percent of schools are on track to have broadband uptake so the issue is resolved for those 90 percent. For those schools that are not in that category the library will be working with them with targeted programmes to ensure that they continue to receive the service that they have and can convert to the new service as soon as it becomes available. There are no losers from this plan.Tracey Martin: Did the Minister consider the findings of the 2012 Inquiry into 21st century learning environments and digital literacy which identified that although schools may have connectivity to ultra-fast broadband access to individual student devices both at home and school continue to be a barrier before signing off on these changes; if not why not?Hon PETER DUNNE: Yes the 2012 changes informed the 2013 round of consultation on the impact of those changes and it was on the basis of those two considered pieces of work—which covered I think in the first instance around 159 different organisations and a significant number of people in the second instance—that the changes were made with confidence with support from educators that this was in the best interests of children moving forward into the digital environment.Tracey Martin: Will the Minister consider establishing an implementation phase for the new reading engagement service for any schools still challenged with accessing connectivity and digital devices from term 3 of this year; if not why not?Hon PETER DUNNE: I do not think that the member understood or heard correctly my earlier answer. In those cases where schools do not have the level of connectivity at this point in time there will be a targeted programme to ensure that they can continue to receive the service that they do and that none of their students will miss out.Jacinda Ardern: If there are no losers with these changes as he claims why have the School Library Association; the History Teachers’ Association; the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA); countless schools including those who are isolated and in rural communities; countless teachers; and more than 20000 New Zealanders all signed a petition opposed to the changes he is recommending; or does their opinion not count?Hon PETER DUNNE: Of course their opinion counts. The fact that the Labour Party has stirred up a campaign of misinformation and then when I offered the Labour Party a briefing it said: “Yes thanks but not for a month yet because we are running this campaign in the meantime.”Jacinda Ardern: We took the briefing; we are still right.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just ask the supplementary question.Jacinda Ardern: How can he claim as he has in this House that the changes he is proposing were based on “wide consultation with teachers librarians and the community” when his own answers to written questions show that during the consultation process the changes he is making were not mentioned once.Hon PETER DUNNE: I make the claim because it is correct. I make the claim because it is right. I make the claim because the changes being made are in the best interest of equipping our children for the digital future ahead of them. If the Labour Party wants to play politics with kids’ futures let it do so but the reality is that this is about improving service. Let me add one other thing. The member cannot go on playing two games. She cannot go on—as she did last week—thanking my office for the information that it provided her on a particular instance and then raise the issue again in the House today. It is pure naked politics designed to appease the Post Primary Teachers’ Association.