Roberts Angela; Rurawhe AdrianANGELA ROBERTS (Labour): Talofa lava Mr Speaker. Today it is not an economics lesson; today we'll start with a history lesson shall we from someone who was in the thick of it in 2010 when the challenges of student engagement and achievement were brought to the attention of the Hon Anne Tolley. And she responded. She reviewed the systems and how they respond to our vulnerable students and she made some reforms including putting more money into prosecuting parents. I wonder why that didn't work. She also reformed the truancy service as we've heard combining 77 district services and the non-enrolled service into contracts with 11 providers nationwide including the establishment of the electronic service. Over the years the number of those providers has grown because it was really clear from the outset that what got lost in there was the relationships in our communities our ability as teachers and their schools to connect with whānau to wrap around their children.Their intentions were good—continuity and improvement—something that I acknowledged as the president of the Post Primary Teachers' Association at the time but there were concerns raised by us at the time that this new national structure would be too far removed from school communities students and their whānau and relationships would not be sustained. In 2015 not only was the Attendance Service stretched but schools as they always do stepped up. They employed truancy officers for themselves. They knocked on doors. We heard that from the Opposition this afternoon. And they worked really hard to provide additional wraparound support for those who started to develop a pattern of non-attendance. But this heroic model is not sustainable and our schools and students deserve more. In our recent inquiry we heard that the current situation is worse and has been exacerbated by COVID. We heard from numerous organisations schools teachers and most importantly our students about the impacts—not only the reasons why they're not attending school but the impact that has on their lives.But there is hope Mr Baillie. Just like with climate change being honest about the problem means that you can collaborate and come up with a solution. We learn from our innovators. We learn from our communities that were successful in turning things around—just like our honourable Minister reflected this afternoon about how we can effect change. Schools did step up and in our inquiry as Camilla Belich pointed out we got stories of hope. We got stories of hope and the recommendations are extensive evidence-informed and actually show that localised responsive well-resourced solutions are what we need—not excuses but reasons. Being honest about the problem means you can address it. And I'm really pleased that all of those challenges about having to do something—we've got an answer for that; obviously somebody wasn't paying attention over the last couple of weeks. We haven't sat around. This year's Budget: early interventions student attendance around school lunches period products—let's see Incredible Years Check & Connect kaupapa Māori interventions PB4L refresh. And then when things get a bit tougher Mana Ake counselling in schools the regional response fund. This is about empowering our communities to look after our students.I heard something about charter schools. Well funnily enough a bit of a history lesson about those too. There is nothing we saw in a charter school—nothing—that is not already supported in our dynamic and diverse system that we currently have. The only thing they had differently: they had more cash all right? We are proud of our system and we know that with better support our communities and our schools can respond to the needs of our students going forward. I hate to channel my mother but sometimes she gives me a bit of an I told you so" moment. Well this is a bit of an "I told you so" moment. If the last review and reform to attendance issues had been better engaged with our students with their whānau with schools and teachers with iwi and NGOs at the outset as we have done through this inquiry and as our Ministers have done as they have pursued this issue relentlessly we may not have had more than a decade on reforms that did not work. They did not work. I'm proud of what we're going to do—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member's time has expired. The question is that the motion be agreed to.Motion agreed to.Report noted.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I declare the House in committee for further consideration of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill"