Turia Tariana: Education (Board of Trustee Freedom) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Turia Tariana: Education (Board of Trustee Freedom) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:665;Page:13020] 
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker Barker. The origins of the Education (Board of Trustee Freedom) Amendment Bill arise from the revolution that took place in Aotearoa in 1989 under Tomorrow’s Schools. When the Education Act 1989 swept into place the responsibilities of governance and management of schools shifted from the Government to individual schools. Each school was to be governed by an elected board of trustees which would be responsible not just for the management of the school but also for the legal compliance with national education guidelines. This responsibility brought with it the power to employ teachers to hold the principal accountable for performance issues and to manage finances school property and the implementation of the curriculum. This bill essentially extends those 1989 powers to the fullest degree enabling boards of trustees to manage their own affairs by having full control over the employment of teachers at their schools. 
Teacher salaries are currently paid out directly by the Crown. This bill will remove that obligation from the Crown and place it in the hands of boards of trustees via the grants process. It is a radical move. In a technical sense it is the creation of a new section 91 which states that all teacher salaries must be paid out by the board of trustees from grants paid to it under section 79 of the Education Act. 
More than that it is about consolidating the autonomy and the self-determined direction of local schools. It is about establishing their total and absolute control. Associated with that of course is the potential for discrimination or questionable practice by the boards in hiring teachers given their newly acquired authority under this bill. Although we are keen to learn how the unfettered power and authority of boards of trustees would be monitored and scrutinised we cannot overlook the significant call from many kura for autonomy for self-management and for self-determining schools. 
I think it is worthwhile to mention that the same legislation that brought in Tomorrow’s Schools in 1989 also brought in the provision for communities to begin new schools—the kura kaupapa Maori movement. Kura kaupapa as we all know now is a means by which te reo Maori is the principal language of instruction and the history values beliefs and practices of mana w’enua are honoured and protected. Kura kaupapa are in many ways the ultimate expression of matuaranga Maori motuhake—the full autonomy and status for Maori knowledge and values. The distinguished Professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith spells it out in more detail saying that the three key themes of kaupapa Maori are validity and legitimacy of Maori the survival and revival of Maori language and culture and Maori autonomy over their cultural well-being in their own lives. 
It is this last principle that has really influenced us in considering this bill. It is about the relationship between autonomy and mana motuhake self-determination and independence. We consider the questions as to how kura can demonstrate meaningful control over one’s own life and cultural well-being. When the Maori Party came across this bill we saw in it the possibility to respond to the call from kura to support the ability of Maori to make their own decisions as an example of Maori educational independence. If there is one thing the Maori Party is really keen to support it is providing a mechanism by which we can attract w’anau hapu and iwi to engage with Parliament in creating a vision for Maori educational independence prosperity and success. 
In line with our usual practice at first reading and in the hope that Maori will be able to contribute at the select committee we will support this bill at the first reading. This bill will allow the korero to be had. Kia ora.