Donnelly Brian: General Debates 
Donnelly Brian: General Debates 
[Volume:607;Page:4218] 
Hon BRIAN DONNELLY (NZ First) 
: 
 Much has been made of the voting record of ACT during this particular session but the real test of ACT’s integrity will come next members’ day when a vote will be taken in this House on the National Certificate of Educational Achievement Moratorium Bill. As we well know ACT campaigned against the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) in the election. It said then that it would get rid of the NCEA and we well know that it has been anti it ever since. We well know that Donna Awatere Huata has been ACT’s most vocal opponent of the NCEA so she will most certainly want to vote for her bill. The ACT whip carries Donna Awatere Huata’s vote and the question will be whether ACT will use it. Will there be a vote of nine? That will be the test of ACT’s integrity. If it does not give a vote of nine we will have to question the integrity of ACT. 
But that is not really what I want to speak about. I will start my speech with a quote which is arguably the most famous in New Zealand’s educational history. It reads as follows: “The Government’s objective broadly expressed is that every person whatever the level of his academic ability whether he be rich or poor whether he live in town or country has a right as a citizen to a free education of the kind for which he is best fitted and to the fullest extent of his powers.” Members on the other side of the House will know that that quote is attributed to Peter Fraser who was arguably one of our most capable Prime Ministers—albeit the words were written by Clarence Beeby on his behalf. Those words really articulate the fundamental philosophy upon which our education system has rested since they were printed in 1939. It needs to be recognised that Peter Fraser was a Labour Prime Minister. For nigh on 50 years Labour was a party of economic and social equality and greater educational opportunity was one of the main means of achieving that. 
I will compare Peter Fraser’s vision with the decision this Labour Government has made over the NCEA fees. The facts are very simple. Research by the Poverty Action Group shows that in 2002 many children either withdrew from or did not even enter the NCEA because the costs were too great. Costs for school qualifications have been rising steadily since this Government got in. For example in the year 2000 it cost $25 to do four Sixth Form Certificate subjects; the cost was $75 in 2002 and it will be $150 in 2003. What did this caring Government do with this research available to it? It doubled the cost in 2003 which means it will make the problem that much worse. 
I commend Government members for being very very honest on this one. I go on about this issue like a cracked record; once New Zealand First members get their teeth into something we do not let go—and I can tell the Minister I will not let this one go. Ever since I first began raising this question members on the other side of the House have been embarrassed. Their body language has shown it: they fidget squirm and look away. They are certainly embarrassed. I commend those members for the honesty they demonstrate through their body language because the decision made by the Minister of Education is clearly wrong. 
I see the Minister of Finance is here and he must have also been involved in the decision. It does not fit the fundamental philosophy of the Labour Party or what this Government espouses. Who will be hurt by this decision? It will not be the rich people—they will come up with the dough. It will not be the beneficiaries because they have to pay only $35. It will be the parents who are working class but on low incomes who are hurt. Those are the people who will have to come up with $150. It will hurt the children of parents of larger families. Maori and Pacific Island families will be hurt. 
I challenge the Minister to front up and say: “We got this one wrong.” The Prime Minister did it about the painting; she said: “I got this thing wrong.” and she did not lose any respect for it. I challenge the Minister to say: “We got it wrong and we are going to fix it.” The Minister should get up and say: “Yes we got this one wrong. We are going to fix it to bring the fees down by pumping more money into the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.” Even if the Government brings the fees to the same level as last year—though it should go lower—it will earn our respect. 
The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.