Hipkins Chris: Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Hipkins Chris: Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:651;Page:640] 
CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) 
: 
 The Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill is both unnecessary and alarming. It is unnecessary because as is stated in the bill itself the Minister of Education can set national standards through the existing provisions of the Education Act either by way of the National Education Guidelines or by regulations. Regulating for this power could achieve the same policy as legislating so why are we here and why is this bill alarming? We should be clear about this: the bill is alarming because it gives the Minister of Education the power to introduce national testing in our schools. The Government says it does not want to have national testing so why are we passing a bill that allows for it? National could achieve the raising of national standards simply through using the existing regulatory powers that it has but it does not want to do that; it wants to introduce national testing and performance pay for teachers. This is a slippery slope and we are well on the way to it. 
National claims that this bill is about raising standards but we in the Labour Party know that there is a big difference between raising standards and standardising education. That is what this bill is about. It is about standardising education and implementing a one-size-fits-all approach to the education system rather than catering to the needs of individual students. This Government needs to wake up to reality and realise that different kids learn at different rates and not all kids arrive at school at exactly the same point. Some have had early childhood education and some have not. Some have a lot of support at home for their learning and some have not so much. We need to recognise that fact in the primary school system. This bill will penalise good teachers who choose to teach in disadvantaged areas and teach disadvantaged students. It will reward the teachers who choose to teach in higher-decile schools where the kids are already at a higher rate in their learning. The bill will stigmatise the students who live in lower socio-economic areas and it will increase the gap between the rich schools and the poor schools. 
My colleague Trevor Mallard spoke earlier on about a number of the things that Labour did when we were in Government to increase the number of resources for schools. He did a lot of work in looking at assessment tools in schools and promoting tools like the asTTle assessment tool—I tell Mrs Tolley that I am not referring to a cricketer. He focused on things that work and he talked to the teachers the principals the parents and the school boards of trustees. Why is this Government so afraid of hearing what those people have to say that one of the first things it does is ram this bill through Parliament without giving them any chance to have a say through a select committee process? In the Labour Party we focus on what works. We listen to the evidence we listen to what teachers tell us we listen to what the principals tell us and then we act accordingly. 
National is not at all interested in what the teachers have to say or what the professionals have to say. National knows best; it has had its polling company out there. Its polling company told it that raising national standards was the way to go so that is what National will do. It will have a bill that is a page and a half long and is all about raising the national standards. That will save all of the problems that we have with literacy and numeracy! National is on a crusade—it is a page-and-a-half long crusade! It will not last for very long. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Less bureaucrats! 
CHRIS HIPKINS 
: That is right; National is on a crusade for fewer bureaucrats as well so let us load a few more compliance costs on to schools! 
Hon Members 
: Fewer bureaucrats! 
CHRIS HIPKINS 
: That is right. 
Moana Mackey 
: Less bureaucracy. 
CHRIS HIPKINS 
: That is right. 
The Labour Party which I am proud to stand here and represent is focused on what works. In the 9 years we were in Government we focused on giving schools the resources they needed to deliver on what works. We do not agree with Bill English who said the low-decile schools were “awash with cash”. We do not agree with that; we base our policies on sound evidence not bumper stickers that Crosby/Textor has told us are good ideas. We listen to what the teachers have to say. This is a typical National Party approach—it says whatever it needs to say in order to become the Government and then it does whatever it wants to do when it gets there. And it will ram legislation through under urgency so that nobody gets to have a say on it. 
This bill puts the boot into the people at the bottom of the heap and that is what this week has been all about for the new National Government—putting the boot into the people who did not vote for them. This week has been about putting the boot into the families who have just had their taxes increased. These who are going to be impacted on by many of the measures in this bill have just had their taxes increased by the incoming National Government. They have just had their work rights stripped away and their job security stripped away and they can now be sacked within 90 days just like many of the teachers who will be expected to deliver on this.