Hipango HareteHARETE HIPANGO (National): Tēnei te mihi ki a koutou i tēnei wā e huihuia mai nei ki te kōrero i te pire Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 3).[I acknowledge you at this time who have assembled here to speak about this bill the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 3).]I stand as the last member of the National Party and as has been heard in the House the contributions I reflect that this Chamber is one of reflection and one of memory and memorial. It's also a Chamber where there is an exchange of debate and that debate I always approach in a respectful manner. The issue may be one that members in this House and members of the public agree or disagree about but the importance of a democracy particularly in this Chamber of reflection it ought to be one of respect and that the conduct is always respectful and not disagreeable. As is known the National Party is opposing elements of this bill. For the benefit of New Zealanders listening in and as I say for a respectful debate to occur it's well known that the numbers in this House today will ensure that this bill does pass into law. It is important that with the exchange of views in debate in a democracy that that is aired and that is heard. This bill has had significant proportion of it in this debate and appropriately so because of those members of the public who are gathered in the gallery and I acknowledge every single one of you who are here today but also many others who are from afar and may be listening in to this debate. My acknowledgment is to those from Te Wānanga o Raukawa from Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. I've listened to the stories and the contributions from members from the various political parties and this is a place where politics does come in to the debate but I share and express my support to the kaupapa—and the support of the National Party to the kaupapa of what our wānanga and whare wānanga are about. I've listened to Minister Jackson share his stories I've listened to Minister Davis also share the stories of the relationships and the whakapapa that we have to those persons associated with each of the wānanga whare wānanga. I've also listened to the fact that this Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 3) is not solely focused on the issue of the wānanga and my colleague Penny Simmons has appropriately and I acknowledge and support that in terms of respectful exchange and engagement it is the National Party's view that the wānanga and the whare wānanga are appropriately and ought to have been given the due recognition of the elements of this bill within a separate piece of legislation. But that does not say that the National Party does not support these aspects of the wānanga within the bill other than the fact that due process has been compromised. We've heard from members in the debate today that yes there is always compromise but how much longer do we bend to the will and actually continue to be compromised? That is the point of the debate from the National Party today.The compromise is one that's such due process—this is a debate that is under urgency and the point is that if this was given due process and respect it would not be under urgency. It would have been allocated priority in terms of the scheduling at an earlier time. It's been heard that there has been korero and engagement for a long period of time. My question to the Minister: why was that compromised? In this legislative process and my responsibility as a lawmaker after having served as a law facilitator and lawyer for three decades is that I have a responsibility in this House as a lawmaker to ensure that due process is invoked and followed.The concern that's been identified is that only 24 working days has been given to this bill and the elements associated not only with whare wānanga which is an important component of this legislation but also the issue that's been heard in the committee of the whole process and exchange of questions and answers around the school board election process around child protection—which is the background that I come from in my service back home in Whanganui in my community around child welfare protection and families. Tertiary: the element under this Bill is about establishing the new framework for wānanga and a significant component appropriately so for this debate and recognising those who have gathered here in this gallery is around the wānaga and the due regard respect and process that has been compromised and then other miscellaneous elements within the Bill. At the second reading when I spoke for the first time on this bill I signalled that I was not a member of the select committee my colleagues Penny Simmons and Erica Stanford were the representatives for the National Party but when I came into this House to speak at the second reading with limited knowledge other than reading the select committee report and then perusing the bill as is my responsibility and every member in this House who speaks to the bill as a lawmaker to scrutinise that. So in the scrutiny of that bill drawing on the background of service that I've given I talked about child protection child welfare and safety and that this bill importantly changes the criteria for school boards so anyone convicted of an offence as is outlined in Schedule 2 and Schedule 2 details the seriousness of convictions associated with ensuring that the element of child welfare and protection is addressed by the school board with the appointment of members to that board. Schedule 2 in terms of child protection to ensure that any person who has a conviction as is outlined in Schedule 2 is automatically ineligible unless exempted by the Secretary for Education.So the backgrounds that I have come from in advocating and representing the most disparate and vulnerable amongst our community of children and families is that Schedule 2 identifies specified offences—anybody who has a conviction of a sexual violation nature of sexual exploitation of indecency not only towards a child but also men or women that it is important that matters where a person has convictions associated with injuring others or assaults or ill treatment or neglect of a child that there is a responsibility of the school boards in ensuring that that element of child welfare and protection is incumbent and that our children can and our families expect that our children can go to school and be safe.So in closing just touching on when I spoke in this House at the second reading referring to Minister Davis and Minister Jackson about relationships I shared that the association that I have as the granddaughter of Hori Hipango that association was with matua—Professor Whatarangi Winiata in the days when he was a student at Victoria University. It was shared with me not long after I came into this public service role as a member of this place that when he met me and heard my name made the association and correlation with my koro. It was humbling to hear that Professor Whatarangi Winiata matua had said as a student here at Victoria University in his younger days he would travel through to Putiki Whanganui to wānanga with my koro to learn the reo. So the association that we have—that I have personally with Te Wānanga o Raukawa is through that whakapapa—is through the generations.So in closing I stand to say that the intent is to support the kaupapa and always will be. I acknowledge Rawiri Waititi who has said in this House today that parties lay claim—actually the National Party is acknowledging the support that has been lent to the kaupapa of Kōhanga Reo kura kaupapa and the whare wānanga. And on that note I close my speech to say that the intent is good to support but due process and due regard and respect has been compromised and I cannot support that.