Mallard Trevor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Mallard Trevor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:662;Page:10617] 
10. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: What decisions has she made on operational funding in the education sector? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) 
: 
 The primary decision I have made on schools’ operational funding was to provide an additional $80.1 million over 4 years into schools’ operations grants in Budget 2009. I have also directed the ministry to stop wasting taxpayers’ money on costly and ineffective projects like Mission-On so that we can get more money out to the front line. 
Sue Moroney 
: Does she stand by her July 2008 promise regarding early childhood education that: “We will retain all existing subsidies and fee controls” and will she repeat that promise now? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I am not aware of where that quote comes from. I do not have it in front of me. I am not aware of the context in which that quote was given. But I can say that early childhood education funding has grown by almost three times over the last 5 years and we are having a close look at the cost drivers behind that growth which is not necessarily producing quality early childhood education. 
Sue Moroney 
: Will she then guarantee that parents of children under the age of 2 will continue to receive the existing childcare subsidy? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: The member will have to wait for the Budget for that. 
Sue Moroney 
: Can she reassure parents that they will not face cost increases for early childhood education after the Budget given that the Prime Minister failed to give that commitment yesterday? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I say to the member that she should wait for the Budget. 
Sue Moroney 
: I seek leave to table the document containing the quote from the Minister that I used in my first supplementary question. It was from her policy statement as National’s spokesperson on education. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Does she fully understand her operational funding decisions that led to her agreement to signing off the approval of seven new wharekura? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: Yes. I fully understand that those seven kura had waited throughout all the years of the previous Government to have their change of class approved. Within 18 months with the help of the Maori Party and the Associate Minister of Education Dr Pita Sharples those kura have now had their change of class approved. They have had interim funding in place from the beginning of this year and they are actively working with the Government to design a new funding regime. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Does the funding of $2000 per pupil for those new wharekura include the Maori language programme funding? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: The interim resourcing package made available to those wharekura from the beginning of this year includes the staffing entitlement the per pupil operational funding—and if that covers the programme then that is funded—a base funding as I have said of $50000 plus $2000 per student and the property resourcing. 
Colin King 
: What responses has she received to decisions that she has made on operational funding? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I was delighted to receive a letter from a principal that said: “The funding for schools has never been better the staff at our local Ministry of Education are fabulous and as far as I’m concerned schools are in a great place. That is what we are here for and we are paid jolly well to do it too.” 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: How can the Minister justify signing off on a kura in Northland on the basis of it getting operational funding of $206000 per year instead of the $374000 that it would have received if it was an English medium school? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: This has been a pragmatic interim solution to allow teaching and learning to continue while longer-term policy is developed. The schools concerned have been fully consulted and they are very happy with the resourcing that they are receiving. As I said earlier one of the schools has even emailed the Associate Minister of Education to say that awesome things are happening. Those schools had been waiting and waiting for the previous Government to do something and it did nothing. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Can the Minister guarantee that her cuts to the wharekura funding formula will not be extended to other area schools? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I repeat my answer from earlier: we cannot cut something that was not there in the first place. Those wharekura received no funding for their secondary school students because the previous administration would not deal with the very unusual situation that they presented. This Government has provided funding on an interim basis and is working with the wharekura to develop an ongoing policy around their funding. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was very deliberately very short and very to the point. It referred to the wharekura funding formula not to the money that went to those schools. That formula has been changed and that is what the question was about. Can I repeat the question so that the Minister can understand it? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I will hear the Hon Anne Tolley. 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: Quite clearly that member asked about the cuts to the wharekura funding. Those wharekura had had no funding. They were not wharekura at all; they were kura. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: We will not litigate this matter. I hear what the Minister is saying. In fact if I recollect the member’s question correctly it asked whether the cuts to the wharekura funding would be extended to other schools. Is the member disputing that? 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: It was the formula. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There is confusion over the question. I am not being critical of the Minister’s answer in allowing the member to ask the question again but we need to get it clarified. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Can she guarantee—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will ask his question. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Can she guarantee that her cuts to the wharekura funding formula will not be extended to other area schools? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I will not ask the Minister to answer that because the member has confirmed that he did include that language in his question—the “cuts to the … formula”. The Minister disputed that part of the question and the Minister is entitled to do that. I had thought that the member might ask whether the formula for these wharekura schools would be extended to other area schools but he used the word “cuts” which the Minister disputed. That was a perfectly fair answer to the question. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I have ruled on the matter. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I know that you have and I suppose I am disputing your ruling but this is very important. It is the funding formula that has been cut and I asked whether that cut to that formula which was previously the one for area schools would be extended to other area schools. I think that is a perfectly reasonable question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: From listening to the Minister’s answers members would have heard her argue that this is a new interim formula and therefore she argued that because it is a new formula it cannot be suggested in a question that it is a cut to an existing formula. I think in fairness to the Minister that she answered that question perfectly fairly. If the member had had different wording in his question then I think we would have had to hear a somewhat different answer. But he included the words “cuts to the … formula” and the Minster has pointed out to the House that it is a new interim formula. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. When there is one formula that applies to wharekura and then another formula is put in that is less than the previous one most of us would think that that was a cut. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Now the member is starting to trifle with my ruling and that will not go any further.