Calder Cam: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is subject to correctionCalder Cam: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 07 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:14493. Text is subject to correction.]10.Dr CAM CALDER (National) to theMinister of Education: What recent announcements has she made to strengthen the status of the teaching profession?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Today I was delighted to launch the inaugural Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards which aim to recognise value and celebrate the teaching profession. The awards will recognise and celebrate groups of New Zealand educators and parents partnering for a better education for our children and young people. The four categories are teaching leadership community engagement and governance. These awards aim to acknowledge these people and practices that are delivering a better education to our children and young people and to help raise the bar for the profession by identifying and showcasing quality teaching.Dr Cam Calder: What other announcements did she make to highlight best practice among educators?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Today I also announced a series of education festivals to be held next year in March which will complement the International Summit on the Teaching Profession in New Zealand. The education festivals will be held in Auckland Wellington and Christchurch around the time of the summit and will share best practice amongst educators and will bring the best in the education system to the wider community. Holding the international summit holding the festivals introducing the excellence awards and establishing the new professional body the Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand EDUCANZ—not “Edu-can’t”—are all part of acknowledging the importance of the teaching profession working with the profession to raise its status and recognising the critical contribution that the highest levels ofachievement by our children and young people make to the future prosperity of this country.Chris Hipkins: Why does she believe that the new education council she announced last week will be able to act as a professional voice for the teaching profession given that its members are being appointed exclusively by the Minister rather than selected by those whom the council ultimately seeks to govern?Hon HEKIA PARATA: It is worth noting that the Minister already appoints the majority of the New Zealand Teachers Council. Why do I think it? Because the proposal is to make the new education council statutorily independent unlike the current status of the New Zealand Teachers Council. Secondly the proposed nine members will have publicly advertised the critical skills and competencies that will be required in the final selection. Thirdly there will be an opportunity for anyone including the members opposite to make nominations. It is expected that a majority of those nine will be from the profession and it will be seasoned by other experience that is also in the interest of the public and of course education is high on that list.Chris Hipkins: Why does she believe that the teaching profession will have any confidence in the independence of the new education council given her statement: “The Government’s key lever to manage its interest in the teaching profession will be through the Minister’s power to appoint the members of the governing board.” and is that the reason why she has already selected a National Party office holder to be one of the first members of the board?Hon HEKIA PARATA: It is not a matter of my belief; it is a fact of the constitutional democracy of New Zealand that statutory independence means independence. It is also my view that given that we have advanced significantly in terms of what the proposed new council is expected to do it will indeed strengthen the profession in order to enable it to meet the 21st century education challenges. Moreover it has taken 3 years of conversation. Thank you.Brendan Horan: Is the Minister concerned that teachers were formerly respected and valued members of the community yet over the passage of time and certainly under her tenure teachers have been unpaid and feel unappreciated and over Christmas many will be unemployed?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I certainly celebrate the teaching profession and the contribution that teachers make to New Zealand and have made over many generations including my own parents. The announcements that I have made today seek to strengthen that status and the value that the profession is held in by all New Zealanders.