Delahunty Catherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Delahunty Catherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Sitting date: 28 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4773. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
9. 
CATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Does she stand by her statement made in a speech to the New Zealand Educational Institute principals’ conference that “This idea that students have to be labelled as failures is offensive to me”; if so why? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education) 
: 
Tena koe Mr Speaker. Yes I do stand by my statement which in full actually reads: “this idea that students have to be labelled as failures is offensive to me … because no professional would be using that language if what they were aiming to do was raise achievement.” So yes because those who advance their opposition to national standards by exploiting the trust of learners and their families asserting that national standards require them to do so are failing those very learners their families and indeed their profession. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: Why then is she setting up a system that labels children as “below standard” and therefore a failure? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: National standards do not label children as failures. National standards help identify those kids who are falling behind so they can be provided with the support they need to improve. National standards help parents to know how well their child is doing. The only labelling that would be going on would be if someone was actively choosing to use national standards in that way rather than to inform their practice to improve achievement for those learners. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question asked why she was setting up a system that labels children as “below standard” and I did not hear an answer to that term. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think the member is being a little pedantic. The Minister explained why “below standard” or “failure”—why she disagreed with the statement that national standards led to that automatically. I think that was not unreasonable. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: What is she doing to help children who are labelled as “below standard” a term often used in reports or as a failure by her national standards reporting system? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: About 3 weeks ago I released a 5-year plan called the Public Achievement Information plan which sets out over the next 5 years the outcomes that need to be achieved at learner parent teacher principal board chair and agency levels on what we need to be doing. That is an explicated 5-year plan in detail by participants. Everybody can see it and can participate in this combined commitment to raise learner achievement for five out of five students. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question related to the concept of labelling and I did not hear anything. I asked the Minister what she is doing to help children who are being labelled as below standard. I did not hear a reply to that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Members should not be interjecting—both sides of the House. The Minister in my view answered the question. What she interpreted the member’s question as meaning is that if someone is being labelled as not meeting the standards it means according to the Minister’s answer that they need help and the Minister explained what the Government is doing to help those children. The member asked what she is doing about it and I think the Minister gave a reasonably comprehensive answer. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: What effect does it have on children’s confidence as learners to be labelled from age 6 as below standard? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: Once and for all the system that is being implemented does not label students. People using the system may unprofessionally choose to do that but the system itself does not label learners as failures. No labelling is required under national standards at all—none whatsoever. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked about the effect on children’s confidence of being labelled. I did not ask whether the Minister thinks— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! There is obviously a lot of disagreement around the House on this but that is no excuse for interjecting during a point of order. The Minister simply disagreed with the proposition that the system labels students and pointed out that in her view it is not the fault of the system—this is her view; I am just repeating what she said—if other people refer to students as failing to meet the standards. I think to refute the assertion in the member’s question is a perfectly reasonable thing for a Minister to do. 
Hon Nanaia Mahuta 
: Is she concerned that the labelling of some students as failures and some schools as bad schools will result from the publication of national standards data; if so what steps will she take to avoid such a damaging perception? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: The steps that are being taken to help in every one of our schools how they raise learner achievement are set out in the 5-year Public Achievement Information plan. They are set out in the investment we are making in the progression and consistency tool which will help teachers to not only capture the absolute information about a learner in respect of their cohort but also capture progression over time all of which is related to overall teacher judgment. The OECD has commented in its New Zealand report on how well New Zealand’s assessment and evaluation procedure works and this will further embed that. 
Hon Nanaia Mahuta 
: Is she offended that children with moderate special education needs could be labelled as falling below national standards without consideration of their complex learning needs; if so what action will she take to rectify this? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: By providing $304 million of professional learning and development over the next 4 years. There is no need for any child to be labelled in that way at all. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: I seek leave to table the report  
The Use of Evidence to Improve Education and Serve the Public Good 
 by the Ministry of Education from April 2012 which shows that parents of children who are labelled as below standard by national standards could react negatively. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Chris Hipkins 
: How can the Minister claim that no children are being labelled as failures when the Prime Minister has been saying that one in five children is failing to meet standards? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: I did not engage the conversation as to whether it was occurring or not. What I said was that the system itself does not require that to occur. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: The Prime Minister labelled them as failures. The Prime Minister labelled them as failures. 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: Ah ah—no no. Your proposition is that nobody is labelling. You are the ones making that argument— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I am not sure the Speaker is making any proposition on this at all. When the member is saying “Your proposition” she is referring to the Speaker. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! It has happened a couple of times today in questions and answers where members asking questions inserted “you are doing this” and Ministers answering them referred to “your” and “you”. Members should remember they are referring to the Speaker under those circumstances.