6. Question No. 6—EducationHon NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) to the Associate Minister of EducationQuestion No. 6—Education6. Hon NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) to the Associate Minister of Education: Does she stand by her statement This Government is strongly committed to improving learning support for New Zealand children and young people and their parents and whānau"?Hon TRACEY MARTIN (Associate Minister of Education): In the context of the additional $619.7 million investment and the system improvements that this Government has enabled yes.Hon Nikki Kaye: Does she consider that our learning support system has improved when early intervention behaviour service and communication service wait-lists have increased in half of the regions in New Zealand to the year 30 June?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: Since 2013 we've seen a 19 percent increase in demand in core learning support specialist services including a 24 percent increase in demand for behavioural services 21 percent increase in demand for communication services and a 20 percent increase in demand for early intervention services. More children are being seen by learning support specialists here in New Zealand but we do still have a waiting list which is why I believe the previous Minister of Education the member herself recognised that and recognised we had to provide learning support in a different way and that is why she launched the learning support delivery model.Hon Nikki Kaye: Does she consider that it's an improvement to our learning support system when the national early intervention wait-list increased by 162 students in the year to 30 June?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: Could I get the member to repeat the question because I think she's asking me about the number of children that the wait-list increased by.SPEAKER: Ask again.Hon Nikki Kaye: Does she consider that it is an improvement to our learning support system when the national early intervention wait-list increased by 162 students in the year to 30 June?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: Thank you for repeating the question. I think what it means is that we're identifying students that need support and that we are putting them on wait-lists so that we're not just saying "Please don't put a child on a wait-list." or "Please don't identify a child." We recognise that they're there. We're working through the learning support delivery model that the member herself launched in 2016 through other supports and through early intervention that we have invested in to try and cut those wait-lists. In some areas wait times have dropped from 73 days to 20 days. I'm not saying it's perfect to the member. I certainly don't say that we're there yet but we're certainly investing more than there's ever been invested before.Hon Chris Hipkins: Can she confirm that one of the things that's delaying dealing with wait-lists for learning support is the lack of specialist staff to do that work because insufficient numbers of specialist staff have been trained over the last decade?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: I can. There are workforce issues and we do know that it takes a reasonable amount of time to train those specialists which is why—and again I want to compliment the member on the learning support delivery model that was put into pilots. As soon as we can roll out the first tranche of learning support coordinators—we have seen in Taupō for example that by using those two things combined we have been able to spread professional development we've been able to utilise the specialists in a much better way and therefore those children with the highest need are being able to be seen sooner.Hon Nikki Kaye: Can she confirm the education sector and the Government are in a potential dispute regarding the Government's flagship learning support coordinator role given NZEI have sought major changes to remuneration and the roll-out of this role?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: No I can't confirm that there's any way shape or form that the Government is entering into a major dispute. The Post Primary Teachers Association has recently contacted me and offered their support to help us make sure that the learning support coordinators first tranche rolls out and is effective. I have had members of the education sector contact my offices with support. Certainly there was disappointment by those who did not receive learning support coordinators but I certainly couldn't characterise the relationship at the moment as heading towards an industrial issue.Hon Nikki Kaye: Just to be absolutely clear can she confirm or is she denying that NZEI have sought a formal variation to collective agreements to change the learning support coordinator role?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: That's not what the member asked me to start with; she asked if we were heading towards a dispute. The NZEI has actually put forward a variation—I don't think it's the first time in the history of this Parliament that they've put forward one—but I certainly wouldn't characterise it as moving forward into industrial dispute area."