Swarbrick ChlöeCHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai. Tēnā koutou e Te Whare. It is a pleasure to rise in support of the Education (Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand) Amendment Bill. I personally am stoked to hear the Opposition members of the National Party declaring that teachers deserve the best. Welcome to the party guys! Welcome to the party. This is obviously happening alongside their new flagship policy of decreasing class sizes. I mean it's not like they were in power for the last decade or anything! So we're stoked that you're now joining this party members of the Opposition. You're welcome to it and we're looking forward to working with you on implementing these policies and obviously ensuring that we get the best for the teaching profession—indeed what they are asking for. When the Nats removed elected representation in 2015 we heard from the likes of the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) and the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) on the changes who all I would note vehemently opposed it. The NZEI said how can it be independent when all of its governance … is directly appointed by a politician?" There will be a lack of ownership by members. Extensive consultation showed the sector clearly wanted an independent body whose members were directly elected out of the profession by the profession along with appointments made in the public interest. This bill delivers on exactly that I would note. The PPTA at the time in 2015 when the Nats were pushing through these changes and removing elected representation said "provisions about membership of the Council which could result in there being no current practising teachers or principals on the Council is very dangerous." "Members of EDUCANZ must understand that they will serve the minister and the government of the day—not the teaching profession." and "The EDUCANZ model as it stands allows the minister to hand-pick an exclusive club. By stripping away the professional voice of teachers and not allowing us to elect our own representatives to our own professional body EDUCANZ will struggle for credibility." and indeed those are arguments that we heard throughout the select committee process. This select committee I would note to the House is a fun one to sit on because it does happen to be one of the most polarised I would note in this 52nd Parliament.To the point about cost—which has been raised time and time again by members of the Opposition who are so fixated on this cost that I think they're forgetting who is paying for it—I ask members of the Opposition if they've heard of the teachers levy that they use to pay for this body?To the point around participation and around turnout with regard to those who are voting in these elections and the kinds of discussions about who turned out throughout the previous elections—before the National Party removed them in 2015—no one is proposing with declining turnout in general elections that we replace politicians. So I would simply say that often what the response tends to be when we notice a decline in participation or turnout is we try to reinvigorate democracy and a good way to do that is to engage people on the issues and indeed to shine a light on the professionalism of the body not to stomp on them.So this is a professional body that we're talking about—our teaching procession. The National Party themselves have said that teachers deserve the best and interestingly they've continued to speak about skills and competency focus when it comes to the board. But what they're doing is not talking about elected representatives from the teaching profession; they're talking about ministerial appointees. To that point I would ask: who has a better insight into the profession than current teachers? It's as simple as that. Teachers deserve to be able to elect their own representatives in the same way that doctors and lawyers get to. This is indeed about recognising that professionalism.I am stoked to stand here as a member of the Green Party in confidence and supply with this Government to be delivering on this returning elected representation back to the teaching profession and more so than that the broader work programme that we are undertaking to transform the education sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. I am proud to stand on behalf of the Green Party and to commend this bill to the House."