Calder Cam: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Calder Cam: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 13 February 2013. Volume:687;Page:7787. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
7. 
Dr CAM CALDER (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: What reports has she received on the 2012 NCEA results? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education) 
: 
 I have received a report with provisional 2012 results from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. These results show that there have been improvements at National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 2. In the context of our Better Public Services target to see 85 percent of 18-year-olds achieving NCEA level 2 some highlights are that overall results for NCEA level 2 for year 12 participants have risen 6.7 percent since we became the Government for year 12 Maori participants results have risen by 10.4 percent since we became the Government and for year 12 Pasifika participants results have risen by 12.9 percent since we became the Government. I would like to congratulate all students who achieved in 2012. These are significant improvements over the last 4 years but we must do better. 
Dr Cam Calder 
: How will she continue to focus on lifting NCEA achievement rates and performance across the rest of the education pipeline? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: Firstly it is important to understand that this is a pipeline it is a system and our Government is targeting every part of it. I earlier reported to the House what we are doing in early childhood education. We want 98 percent of all new entrants to have participated in quality early childhood education. We want 85 percent of all 18-year-olds to have NCEA level 2. We will be focusing on lifting national standards to at least 85 percent for all children. We believe in belting and bracing the system. That means that we need to have 2400 more children in early childhood education this year and for NCEA level 2—[ 
Interruption 
]—for those members who are genuinely interested in raising achievement we need 48000 18-year-olds. I do not know what the pun was—an additional 1280— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think the Minister has adequately answered the question. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Some of us are finding this answer intriguing and I think if the Minister sought leave to finish her answer it would be accepted by the House. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think the Minister has had her turn. It is normally the member who rises to his feet complaining the answers are too long. 
Chris Hipkins 
: Can the Minister guarantee to the House that the improvement in NCEA achievement statistics has not been because of a lowering of the standard; and if she does guarantee that to what specific Government policy initiative does she attribute the improved success rates? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: I can absolutely guarantee that. All of us in this House are committed to the New Zealand education system being a world-class one and therefore guaranteeing the standard of it is something that this Government is particularly committed to. I can point to it because in every year this Government despite the recession that we have gone through has raised the investment in Vote Education. We have employed more teachers. We have funded operational grants at a higher level. We have focused $304 million on professional learning and development. I could go on but the litany of what we have invested in versus what that Government did not invest in would take too long.