Tinetti JanJAN TINETTI (Labour): Thank you Madam Chair. I'm not going to spend three minutes and 40 seconds of my contribution talking about process as the previous speaker Dr Parmjeet Parmar did because there are so many good things to talk about about education and what we are doing in the select committee. I think it's of no surprise to anyone that I am absolutely passionate about education but education has some big issues just like a lot of other areas in this country. We are prepared for that and we are tackling the big long-term issues that are facing New Zealand. After the nine years of neglect—and I can talk about that because I lived through all nine years of that neglect in education—there is a lot to fix. But hey we're up to it and we're making a really really good start. It was exciting to see the Minister come into our select committee and present the wonderful things that are happening in our education system—school property for a start. Now I don't know about other people on this side but when I go into schools I hear a lot about school property. It is one of the number one issues that school principals and boards of trustees will raise with me because school property has had great neglect. But the exciting thing in our select committee—and as part of our Budget this year—we heard about was the largest ever investment that's been made by a New Zealand Government going forward into school property. The National Education Growth Plan is exciting. We are building new schools and classrooms; I think it's over 100000 children and young people who will benefit from those new schools and classrooms. But here's the best part: it's that principals know what is happening in that growth plan. It isn't being left to chance it isn't being left to Oh the school down the road got something and we didn't but we've got needs too." Needs are being assessed; they're being assessed as part of that growth plan and that is really exciting to see. I know that principals are excited about that because they're telling me that they're really excited. I met with a board of trustees chairperson the other day who is really excited about the fact that they know what's happening in their school now. They know what to expect and how far into the future they have to look. That board of trustees chairperson told me that that's the first time that they've actually known that to be the case in their 13 years as chairperson of that particular school. It's really really exciting to see that we are planning with communities. We are actually bringing them in on the discussions about what is actually happening in that space. But not only that we are staying true to delivering cheaper education for our families. That is really exciting. Now I'm not certain who might be spreading some misinformation in this particular space but there must be some misinformation that's being spread out there because I had a principal in Auckland tell me the other day that someone had told them that they wouldn't be benefiting from the Education (School Donations) Amendment Bill. Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: What? Who said that? JAN TINETTI: As I said I'm not certain who might be spreading that misinformation but someone was certainly spreading that to them. When I worked it out with that principal not only were they benefiting from the school donations bill but they're going to be benefiting if they choose to take it up by $70000. The principal of that school burst into tears on Friday when she found that out because that has made such a relief. That wasn't how that had been portrayed to her in the past few weeks. So she was feeling a great sense of relief with that; working through how that was going to work. The other aspect of making education cheaper is taking away those fees from NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship. What a big difference that is making to so many young people in this country. I have an ex-pupil of mine who has not been able to take up their NCEA because they've never been able to pay those fees in the past. About three weeks ago they said to me that they can now proudly show that qualification and that's going to help them get a job in the future. That is the difference it is making for people: being able to have that sense of achievement by showing that qualification. I'm proud of what this Government is doing. Thank you."