Turei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTurei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 18 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13456. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) to theMinister of Education: Did her statement that “Partnership Schools/Kura Hourua will play their part in meeting our target of five out of five students achieving success in education. They will be established in areas where kids are currently underserved by the existing education system” reflect any selection criteria for the first partnership schools; if not why not?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Yes.Metiria Turei: Is Albany where the Vanguard military charter school will be established where the Education Review Office reports that the public high schoolachieves “outstanding results at all levels” currently underserved by the existing education system?Hon HEKIA PARATA: All over the country there are pockets of disadvantage and underachievement in places that are considered to be wealthier areas. In respect of Vanguard Military School which is located in Albany it already caters to over 50 percent Māori and 20 percent Pasifika.Metiria Turei: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I did not ask the Minister about whom the school serves; I asked her whether Albany was currently underserved by the—Mr SPEAKER: And the Minister adequately addressed the question by saying that there isunderservicing all over the country.Metiria Turei: What was the 2012 course completion rate for Advance Training Centres the sponsor of the profit-making Vanguard charter school?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I do not have to hand that particular detail but I am happy to get it for the member. My understanding is that it has had a very successful rate of completion. It has been through a very comprehensive scrutiny process in order to be selected as a partnership kura and I wish it well.Metiria Turei: I seek leave to table a document I have received from the Parliamentary Library showing that the 2012 completion rate for Advance Training Centres is just 59 percent.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am just seeing whether there is any objection to that. There appears to be none so that document can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon HEKIA PARATA: I seek agreement to table the full selection criteria and standard agreements for all five partnership kura.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? [Interruption] Order! Is there any objection to that being tabled? There appears to be none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Metiria Turei: Has she given up then on her five out of five target for charter schools given that she has just agreed to give large sums of public money to a private charter school with a record of just three out of five?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Not at all. We are completely committed to getting achievement up to five out of five. We have provided $19 million which is the average for a decile 3 school. We have established the expectation with all five partnership kura that they must have a target of enrolling 75 percent of our priority learners which is a far more stringent standard than anywhere else in the public education system.Metiria Turei: Is the Minister at all worried about funding a military school as a solution for Māori children when the Education Review Office has criticised funnelling Māori kids into non-academic courses at the expense of academic programmes that may respond much better to Māori children’s strengths and aspirations?Hon HEKIA PARATA: For a start the premise of the member’s question is that participating in a military career does not require academic achievement when most assuredly it does. Secondly of the five partnership kura approved yesterday two are going to have 100 percent registered teachers teaching the core national curriculum or TeMarautanga o Aotearoa. The targets for these partnership kura are the same national standards in National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2 and are part of theBetter Public Services targets that this Government has set to ensure we raise achievement for five out of five.Metiria Turei: Is this really the limit of the Minister’s aspirations for our Māori and Pacific kids that she would spend all of this time and vast sums of public money on the preparation of legislation and advice to give a few select kids military training with an outcome of just three out of five?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The member is wilfully ignoring the facts. One of the partnership kura includes provision for military training. No parent is compelled to send their child there. The height of my aspirations for all New Zealand children Māori and Pasifika included shared by this Government is that we achieve educational success for five out of five—unlike the Opposition which spent years wringing its hands over failure but did nothing material to address its parlous record.