5. Question No. 5—EducationCHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green—Auckland Central) to the Minister of EducationQuestion No. 5—Education5. CHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green—Auckland Central) to the Minister of Education: Does he agree with the Prime Minister's statement that education is the greatest enabler in society"; if so has he seen the People's Inquiry into Student Wellbeing which found thousands of tertiary students are living in poverty?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Education): Yes and yes although I won't claim to have read it from cover to cover.Chlöe Swarbrick: Is he concerned at our inquiry finding that 64 percent of students sacrifice time in class in order to work and if so does he think that that demonstrates a barrier-free access to education?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I am concerned if students are working overly long hours that are preventing them from study. I'm not concerned that students are necessarily working—that's always been the case; students have often worked whilst they've been studying. But where students are working over and above what would be a reasonable number of hours to work and study at the same time yes that is a concern.Chlöe Swarbrick: Does he think it's a barrier to education that students pay on average 56 percent of their income towards their rent and also have some of the most insecure run-down housing in the country with many reporting damp cold and mould?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I absolutely accept that the state of some student accommodation has not been what it should be. We've been working hard to address that. I don't think that work is finished yet. I think we've still got more work to do to make sure students are living in a higher standard of accommodation than they have been. I would note that it has always been the case that compared to others the proportion of students' income that goes towards accommodation does tend to be higher for the period that they're studying. That's not new. That is a long-term situation and you'll find that situation is the same almost everywhere else in the world.Chlöe Swarbrick: Is he concerned by the finding that two-thirds of students don't have enough money for food healthcare bills or other basics and if so will he make the student allowance universal and raise it so that students have enough support to eat while studying? Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I am of course concerned if students are finding the cost of living is biting for them as I am concerned for other New Zealanders who are finding themselves in that situation as well. We have not made a commitment to a universal student allowance because there are significant financial pressures on the New Zealand taxpayer at the moment and we're not in a position to do that.Chlöe Swarbrick: Why have no tertiary institutions fully implemented the pastoral care code which came into effect eight months ago?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: That is ultimately a question for them and for the code administrator which as the member will be aware is the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). I do know that NZQA is working closely with Universities New Zealand. The universities through Universities New Zealand have undertaken a gap analysis to identify the areas where they still need to make sure they're fully complying with the code. NZQA has been working with them to make sure they're doing that.Chlöe Swarbrick: Does he agree with the statement of former Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association president Chris Hipkins that if "the Government are serious about providing tertiary education opportunity to all New Zealanders then urgent attention will need to be given to bringing down tuition fees and boosting financial support for all students" and if so does he think that the results of this survey show that he and the Government are doing enough to support students now?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Yes I do agree with that far-sighted and visionary quote that the member just mentioned. In fact I have throughout my working life continued to be dedicated to ensuring that we get a better deal for students. If you look right the way across the term of this Labour Government—and in fact the one that came before it—we have continued to seek to remove the financial barriers that students face."