Pettis Jill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Pettis Jill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:628;Page:685] 
3.  
JILL PETTIS (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Tertiary Education 
: What progress is the Government making towards addressing skill shortages through the Modern Apprenticeships scheme? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Minister for Tertiary Education) 
: 
 Very good progress. At the end of September—the latest numbers—8298 Modern Apprentices were in training a net increase of 538 since March. 
Jill Pettis 
: Can the Minister advise further on the reports he has received on the value of the Modern Apprenticeships scheme? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I have seen many positive reports. About the only negative one I have seen is a report describing the pledge to increase the number of Modern Apprenticeships as “rather trivial”. Of course if one is obsessed with cutting the top tax rate everything else in life tends to seem rather trivial. That came from the Leader of the Opposition. 
Hon Bill English 
: Can the new Minister for Tertiary Education who has been left with the difficult job of cleaning up the tertiary sector explain why 35000 secondary school children are enrolled in Computing for Free courses run by the Tertiary Alliance of polytechnics? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I have no information on that but none of those are Modern Apprenticeships so I doubt whether it relates to the principal question. 
Judy Turner 
: If skill shortages are being addressed why does the Industry Training Federation report in its briefing to the incoming Minister that: “The fund that is stated to have the expectation of skills leadership saw some ITOs receiving a low nominal rate of funding and many ITOs a real decline in funding per learner.” when the Government expanded the industry training organisations’ skill leadership role precisely to address those shortages? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: A number of issues surrounding the funding of industry training organisations and trade training in general are part of the review that is under way of the funding of the tertiary sector but particularly of the relationship between industry training organisations and polytech funding. 
Judy Turner 
: I seek leave to table the Industry Training Federation’s briefing to the incoming Minister. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Dr Pita Sharples 
: Kei te kaha etahi Minita o te Kawanatanga ki te whakakore i etahi o nga matauranga Maori i etahi o nga whare wananga me nga whare takuira a me o ratou arotakenga o enei kaupapa na reira ma te aha ka mohio a ia me tona Kawanatanga te ahua o te matauranga Maori a he aha ona tikanga hei whakamatautau? 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Given that several Government Ministers have been working hard to abolish some Maori-focused programmes run by some wananga and community polytechs and their assessment measures how do he and his Government determine what constitutes a Maori-focused programme and what aspects should be assessed? 
] 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The question is very wide of the original question which relates to the Modern Apprenticeships scheme but if the Minister wishes to address it in that context it is within the scope. 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Yes indeed it is well wide. The recent report on te wananga rather reminded me of the original Disney version of  
The Sorcerer’s 
Apprentice 
 in  
Fantasia 
 with a reproduction of a large number of people with brooms. 
Dr Pita Sharples 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I believe that the question should be addressed properly because it does relate to the skills section of the question. 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I am happy to say that I believe that the assumption made in the question is fundamentally wrong.