Lee Melissa: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLee Melissa: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 11 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5569. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.MELISSA LEE (National) to the Minister of Education: What recent announcement has she made that supports the learning of Asian languages in schools?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): I am delighted to announce that 22 programmes involving 129 schools will receive a total of $3.3 million over the next 3 years in order to establish new Mandarin Japanese or Korean language programmes and to expand existing ones. This signals the first phase of the Government’s commitment to spending a total of $10 million over 5 years to increase the provision of Asian languages in schools. The first round generated such enthusiasm for Asian languages in classrooms that for the second round we are extending funding eligibility to include all Asian languages. Applications for that round open today and schools have until 25September to register their interest.Tracey Martin: Does the Minister believe that New Zealand students learning an Asian language is more useful or has more value than New Zealand students learning Te Reo Māori?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The decision as to which languages a school wishes to provide to its students is a discussion between that school and its board of trustees. What this Government does is fund and support the availability of Te Reo Māori English and sign language and in addition this wonderful announcement that I am making todayabout Asian languages.Melissa Lee: What benefit will the Asian Language Learning in Schools (ALLiS) fund bring to New Zealand children?Hon HEKIA PARATA: International evidence shows that learning a second language can also contribute to the development of a student’s literacy skills in their first language. Also in addition to supporting our official languages—English Te Reo Māori and sign language—and Pasifika languages we need to provide young New Zealanders with opportunities to learn the languages of countries that we have strong cultural economic and trade relationships with. As our international and trading links grow particularly with Asian countries future generations of kids will need to be able to work in different cultural environments and to communicate in different languages. Easy access to learning an Asian language is a real benefit to the young people of New Zealand.Tracey Martin: Will the Minister be making a similar announcement that her Government will also provide the additional funding required in order to increase the number of resource teachers of Māori thereby supporting the delivery of Te Reo Māori in both English and Māori-medium schools; if not why not?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I can refer that member to successive Budgets within which we have made those commitments already. There are scholarships available for kaiako—that was announced in Budget 2013.Tracey Martin: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was specifically about an increase in the number of resource teachers of Māori.Mr SPEAKER: Order! No no—the question started with “Will the Minister be making similar announcements”. The Minister was talking about previous announcements that she has made. Does the Minister wish to complete the answer? Then the question has been answered.