Davis Kelvin: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Davis Kelvin: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:655;Page:4504] 
9.  
KELVIN DAVIS (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Maori Affairs 
: Does he stand by his statement “Maori students should be granted open access to universities at any age with no qualifications”; if not why not? 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Speaker. Yes I do. 
Kelvin Davis 
: How does allowing open access for Maori to university address the core issue of Maori underachievement at school? 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES 
: The member is right; it does not. We have had 60 years of challenging secondary schools to increase their work rate. Fifty-one percent of Maori boys leave secondary school with no National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) qualifications. We have a trial programme that allows Maori into university at some institutions without any qualifications then they do a bridging course to bring them up to standard and then they enrol in first-year papers. The other part of my request was that kaupapa Maori be introduced into the teaching at universities. 
Kelvin Davis 
: Why does the Minister want to give Maori free access to university at any age when the current policy allows open entry to university for all students from the age of 20 anyway? 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES 
: Part of the reason is the way that some teachers allocate subjects in years 9 10 and 11 to Maori students means that they are automatically taken away from the university entrance programme. A recent thesis produced by Margaret Taurere of Auckland University details subject choices and how they are made. Maori families do not know about that and there needs to be an education programme. But basically secondary schools have to lift their work rate. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Tena koe Mr Speaker. Kia ora tatou. How does the Minister account for the fact that Maori students have the lowest rates of progression from school to tertiary education of any ethnic group and what is he doing about it? 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES 
: Over the years I have tried just about everything and still there is that gap in achievement in secondary education. As I said 51 percent of boys leave school with no NCEA qualifications. As the Associate Minister of Education I am running out the kotahitanga programme in more schools. I have an education programme for school principals to get them in the groove so they know what is required for Maori students. I will establish a trade academy and I have a literacy programme in South Auckland which I will be announcing very shortly. I am working on kaupapa Maori programmes kohanga kura wharekura and whare wananga and my task force on the economy has a transition programme to get secondary students into the tertiary sector. 
Kelvin Davis 
: If the Minister is concerned about providing bridging courses to better prepare Maori students for tertiary education why did he vote in favour of a Budget that cut funding to adult and community education for literacy and numeracy courses that prepare many Maori for higher education? 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES 
: As part of our arrangement with the National Government we give them confidence and supply— 
Hon George Hawkins 
: Sell-out! 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES 
:—a lifetime of working for one’s people is not being a sell-out so I tell that member to start learning—and that is the reason. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Can the Minister explain why lifting the number of Maori people with degree-level qualifications is important to him? 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES 
: Maori people with degrees have a high participation rate in the workforce of 90 percent they have a strong resilience to unemployment of 3 percent and they earn 150 percent more than Maori people without degrees. At the macro level increasing the returns of Maori labour is the single most important action for improving Maori prosperity and ensuring that more Maori students get degrees is paramount. 
Kelvin Davis 
: Does the Minister still believe that he has no chance of getting the Government to agree to allow open entry of Maori students at university; if so is that statement an admission that the National Government is not listening to his views as either the Associate Minister of Education or the Minister of Maori Affairs? 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES 
: There are two answers to that question. Firstly Victoria University took my suggestion very seriously as did the Auckland University of Technology and will look at it. Secondly it is vital that we attack the problem of secondary schools not performing in terms of Maori youth. That is why I am highlighting the point that if secondary schools will not step up and deal with that problem then we go elsewhere such as universities to deal with it.