Baillie ChrisCHRIS BAILLIE (ACT): Truancy: the action of staying away from school without good reason. The ACT Party believes—I'm sure like most people—that that reason would have to be pretty good and no amount of truancy can really be accepted. I was a bit concerned when the report first got initiated that it might become an avenue to attack the school system and teachers but I'm really pleased that it didn't occur and the committee did a great job in sticking to the problem and didn't get too side-tracked with some potentially divisive issues.There are a lot of things going on in people's lives that affect kids going to school but education is the most important thing that determines happiness and success and we must treat it with the importance it deserves—not just academic subjects but going to school builds relationships. They learn how to get on with people along with the sporting and the cultural activities. It's hugely important to students when they're developing their own identity and creating a thriving community. When I went through teachers college in the early 1980s one of my best lecturers said to us all Just remember that the majority of a student's learning is done outside of the classroom." A teacher's role is a complex mixture of passing on academic pastoral and life skills to ensure that students have the ability to face what the big wide world has to offer when they leave.The report identifies a number of areas that are working and things that need to change in today's schools. The recommendation that truancy be a focus for the Education Review Office will I think be enough to make schools look very hard at their processes. I had to laugh when the committee was discussing truancy targets and a Green Party member confidently stated "Targets don't work."I'd like to thank all of the submitters and all of those who contributed to this report—the many opinions about what the issues were and what should be done about them from changing the Curriculum changing school hours to getting truancy officers all sorts. There were some common themes. Having the rules and expectations firmly set in place when parents enrol their child was a big one and I think was really important.Bullying came up quite a few times and needs to be taken seriously. We must remember that bullying isn't confined just to one demographic and that to concentrate energy in any one particular area can become quite divisive. I know a student who changed schools because of the constant bullying about her red hair. But alongside dealing with bullying schools must also teach resilience and give students the tools to deal with some of the unkindness they might face and the ability to function in all situations. This means parents and teachers making rules setting boundaries and challenging students' behaviours; it doesn't mean just being their friends.Another common theme brought up by many submitters was the huge issue of the increased need for mental health services in our schools. I believe many adults and a number of people in this House are responsible for the huge increase in the need for this service. Kids need hope. They need to know that there's a purpose for everything they do whether that's studying maths training for netball or practising their violin. There has to be an end goal. In the quest for a better planet the promise of hope and purpose has gone for many young people. They see no purpose in living in or contributing to a world that they're told daily is going to end. Rhetoric like "Keep under 1.5 degrees for our survival" and constant talk of mass extinctions from those to my left is messing with kids' heads in a huge way. Climate anxiety or eco-anxiety are common mental health issues now. Whatever message is intended we must still give kids hope that they have a bright future and there's a reason to look forward to it. I was teaching in 2019 and condoning climate strikes is condoning truancy. You just can't have it both ways.From my experience two things are imperative to a young person succeeding. The first are parents. Read to your kids. Numerous studies have shown that kids who arrive at school with a basic reading ability are ready to learn and are at a huge advantage from day one. The second thing is for teachers. Teachers must genuinely care about their students. Kids are perceptive and won't want to come to school if they think that the teacher doesn't really care. Truancy isn't just a school problem. All of those involved in a young person's life—parents whānau other agencies and teachers—have a part to play in ensuring that a child has the best opportunity to fulfil their potential. Kids haven't changed but the way we treat them has. Gone are the days when police dropped students off to school in their pyjamas—I did that a few times—but we adults need to step up. Attending school regularly will go a long way to helping all kids to succeed and I'm actually pretty optimistic about the future."