Parata Hekia: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParata Hekia: General Debate[Sitting date: 14 May 2014. Volume:698;Page:17835. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Hello Mr Speaker and kia ora. It is great that we have New Zealand Sign Language Week this week. This is also Budget week and this will be the opportunity for our Government to present the sixth Budget of six extremely good Budgets each appropriate to the circumstances of the year in which each Budget has been announced and I am absolutely expecting that to continue to be the case tomorrow.The Budget will demonstrate the approach that our Government has taken under John Key’s leadership and the prudent yet strategic approach in which our Budgets have been managed by Bill English. We have steered our country out of the troughs of the recession and the global financial crisis and the mess left by the previous Government and we have driven our country towards a much stronger future. We have understood that we have to invest in sustainable infrastructure—in roads and broadband—in those things that make a difference for building a productive economy and most specifically in education.As my colleague Gerry Brownlee has already indicated what New Zealanders are interested in is how strong the economy is how it supports the development of jobs—84000 this year—and how we make sure that we support those who need us most. That is what the Minister for Social Development has been doing by taking a very strong investment focus. This year alone we have seen 15000 New Zealanders go off the benefit and into work because we understand the dignity and respect that goes with work.How do we get better-paying jobs? Well actually we have to invest in better skills and in better education. Our National-led Government understands that investing in an excellent education for every child and every young New Zealander is what sustainably grows an economy is what sustainably gives them the opportunity of having choice in their lives and is what sustainably grows the backbone of our country. We understand the importance of education and we put our money where our mouth is.Over the last 5 years in the area of early childhood education we have been focused on how we get more of our new entrants having a good-quality early learning experience. We are almost at 96 percent which is getting towards our target of 98 percent. Over the last 5 years early childhood education has seen an increase in funding despite the Opposition’s inability to understand through numeracy skills that going from $800 million to $1.1 billion in investment is nearly a 75 percent increase. No matter how much the Opposition says that that is a cut no one else in New Zealand sees how when you almost double a budget it can be a cut. But despite that all power to the Opposition to argue that a 74 percent increase is actually a cut.Overall Vote Education is now at $9.7 billion which is the biggest it has ever been. We have got more kids staying at school more kids taking more subjects and more kids leaving school with a qualification that gives them the opportunity to lead stronger more productive lives and to get the skills and opportunities that had been denied under a previously mediocre and weak commitment to education. The Labour Opposition members look up. That is still the case now because when in our living history has education moved off the front bench as it has done under that Opposition and on to the second row? That is how important this Opposition thinks education actually is. So we have $9.7 billion invested in—Hon Trevor Mallard: Hang on they gave you the portfolio.Hon HEKIA PARATA: And here we have shouting from the other side the former Minister who presided over the closing of nearly 300 schools. We have focused on how we invest. There is $1.1 billion being invested in Christchurch where 115 schools will benefit from that. Across our country $359 million is being invested to create better jobs better career pathways for the people who make the most difference in schools and they are the teachers. Under the policy announced pre-Budget by the Prime Minister 12500 teachers will get the opportunity to share their expertise across classrooms. They will get the opportunity to have the best and brightest stay in classrooms. Nearly 300 principals will get the opportunity to mentor and grow the strength of our 2500 principals across the country. That is how much members on this side of the House care about education. We have grown the investment in it every year at every level of education because we know that that is the biggest contribution you can make to a young person—