Ngaro Alfred: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNgaro Alfred: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 18 April 2013. Volume:689;Page:9547. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.ALFRED NGARO (National) to theMinister for Pacific Island Affairs: What reports has she received on raising achievement amongst Pasifika students?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister for Pacific Island Affairs): Kia orana Mr Speaker. Today I have welcomed figures that show that there was a 3½ percent increase in 16-year-old Pasifika young people achieving National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 2 last year. That means that of the 3054 young Pasifika students who gained NCEA level 2 there were 252 more than in 2011. Last week I also announced provisional data that 6737 Pasifika kids started school having participated in early childhood education. That is 284 more new entrants than at the same time last year. This is good news and a credit to all the aiga early learning places and schools that have played a role in this increase and there is more to do.Alfred Ngaro: What else is the Government doing to raise achievement?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Through working to achieve our Better Public Services targets we are focusing on every stage of the education pipeline from early learning through to schooling and on to brighter futures. For example many children in Porirua East—Hon Member: She doesn’t care.Hon HEKIA PARATA: They do not care obviously but many children in Porirua East were missing out on early learning. With transport—Sue Moroney: Blah blah blah.Hon HEKIA PARATA: Well no it is not blah blah blah. It is transport costs and cultural barriers which this Government cares about but members on those benches do not that have made it difficult for many families. Through the early childhood education participation programme we have supported the licensing of two Pasifika home-based networks in Porirua which has increased the capacity for early learning opportunities for up to 160 children whom we care about even if that side does not. In addition through this network—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the Minister please complete her answer.Hon HEKIA PARATA: In addition through this network 40 Pasifika educators have been trained to deliver high quality culturally responsive early learning.Hon Member: Well done!Hon HEKIA PARATA: Thank you.Su’a William Sio: Does she consider that the use of Pasifika bilingual education can help raise Pasifika students’ academic achievement; if so why has this Government continually under-resourced bilingual Pasifika education and why is bilingual education not mentioned anywhere in the Pasifika Education Plan 2013-2017?Hon HEKIA PARATA: It has long been the policy in education of our Government that language identity and culture do form the context within which educational success can occur. So we have focused through the Pasifika Education Plan on early learning and on supporting community-led initiatives to preserve and promote the heritage languages of those communities so that their children will go on to school with a better chance of success.