Hipkins Chris: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHipkins Chris: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 02 July 2015. Volume:706;Page:5064. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka)to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all her statements?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education):Yes I stand by my full statements in the context that they were given.Chris Hipkins: Does she stand by her answer to the House yesterday that the $2.5 million surplus of a charter school sponsor is “accounted for but the member just does not like the way they are using their funds.”; if so can she explain exactly what the sponsor is using the $2.5 million for?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I do stand by my statements. So for Te Kura Hourua o Whangarei Terenga Parāoa it had an income of $2016630 and parent contributions of $204. Curriculum delivery was $149668. Finance and administration was $239381. I can go on but I am happy to table this although it is already in the public domain. Basically total expenses were $1355782 leaving an operating surplus of $637170.Chris Hipkins: What is the operating surplus and the $1.8 million establishment grant they received in addition to that being used for?Hon HEKIA PARATA: For their contracted outcomes: education deliverables.Chris Hipkins: What costs was the $1.8 million establishment grant intended to cover?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Establishment costs.Chris Hipkins: Given that none of the $1.8 million has been spent on establishment costs does the Crown have any ability to recoup that money?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The school is still in the process of establishing itself. It received as part of the total sum I have just outlined $2016630 of which $1.8 million was received for the purposes of establishing the school. As I advised the House yesterday the school is leasing premises while it secures land if it is able to do so; upon which it will build a school if it is able to do so. In the meantime it has according to its tabled accounts banked those funds has accrued interest and is spending it on education deliverables. I am sure that the member and the House will be pleased to know that in 2014 it delivered 100 percent in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 1 86 percent in NCEA level 2 and 100 percent in NCEA level 3. And this is for a school that unlike other State schools—if the member would like to listen to the actual facts rather than to himself—requires that its roll be made up of 75 percent of the most at-risk kids. The irony here is that instead of the school being applauded for turning around kids who are most at risk it is being criticised. Instead of being applauded for its transparent accountability which is up on the site it is being deplored by the Opposition.Chris Hipkins: Do Ministry of Education guidelines recommend that State schools aim to operate a 0.05 percent surplus; if so how does she justify the roughly 66 percent surplus He Puna Mārama Trust generated once its establishment funding is taken into account?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Those are indeed the guidelines not the prescription and that is why just under 50 percent of all of our State schools run surplus-operating budgets.Chris Hipkins: Has any single State school in New Zealand operated a surplus in excess of 66 percent; if so when and which ones?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I try very hard to be on top of my portfolio but I am unable to give the specific dollars for 2493 State schools in financial year 2014. I think the member is being unreasonable.Tracey Martin: Does she stand by her statement of 30 April 2015 that the ongoing problems at Hato Pētera College boarding hostel need to be resolved by the school and the Catholic Church even though she has the power to remove the hostel licence on health and safety grounds which would force the diocese to take action to improve the hostel conditions for these boarding students?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Yes.