Roy Heather: Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
Roy Heather: Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
[Volume:651;Page:572] 
Hon HEATHER ROY (Deputy Leader—ACT) 
: 
 I rise to speak to the first reading of the Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill. Anybody who listened to the contribution from the Green member would be about ready to leave the country I would think because it sounds like there is nothing positive at all about this bill. In fact what we have with this change of Government a National-ACT Government with support from the Maori Party and United Future is the start of a new era. With that comes not more talk about failing children failing teachers and failing systems but an opportunity to turn things round for our children in this country and to give them the opportunities they have not had in the last long 9 years under a Labour-led Government. 
We have the opportunity to do something positive in education and provide opportunities for those children from lower socio-economic homes and for those children who are not doing well in the current system—and there is very good reason for that. We heard talk from the Green member about damp houses the minimum wage nutrition the 90-day bill—I think for a moment there she forgot she was actually meant to be talking about education. Solutions do not revolve around more of the same failing system that has let down far too many of our children in New Zealand. 
The purpose of the bill which is worth looking specifically at is “to raise standards of achievement and attendance in the compulsory education sector.” and that is a laudable aim. I congratulate the National Government on that initiative. The bill sets out two major changes to our education system. The first is in relation to school enrolment and attendance. Penalties for non-attendance will be beefed up to help rectify the awful record of New Zealand’s habitual truants. Parents will become increasingly liable for the actions of the children in their care. Parents will be made aware that regular truancy will not be tolerated. That is nothing but a good thing. Our kids have no hope of learning and getting ahead if they are not even showing up for classes. 
Secondly and most important this bill will introduce national standards in literacy and numeracy. These standards will go a long way towards addressing New Zealand’s declining educational standards which have seen us plummet down international rankings. In the last 2 days we have seen articles in the newspaper with headlines such as “Primary kids get poor reports for maths science”. What about this one: “Kiwi kids behind Kazakhstan”? If that is where our children are achieving it is a jolly good thing for this country and our children that we have had a change of Government. It has not come a moment too soon. 
Instead of these changes and instead of recognising that there is a problem in our schools what has been the response of the Labour Party? What has been its response? Mr Carter has been standing up; Mr Mallard has just been reeling out the tired old lines that we have heard for the last 9 years that have achieved—what? Our kids achieving behind children in Kazakhstan. In their 9 years of power what was their solution? Well here is one of them. Setting up an expensive website Team-Up: Helping our kids learn to extol the importance not of anything to do with learning but of the importance of calcium in children’s learning might be good for their teeth and their bones but I do not think it has much impact on their ability to learn. As admirable as may be a goal to have adequate calcium levels in one’s diet it lacks a certain amount of reality and credibility. Thank goodness we have had a change of Government. 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: Say nothing of “Wassup!” badges! 
Hon HEATHER ROY 
: That is right. Standards will help with national consistency—something that was sadly lacking under the last Labour Government—so that we have some comparisons we know which schools are performing well and we know which schools need some assistance because they are not reaching the levels of achievement and excellence that they should be. 
But I give just a word of warning—and this is coming from a purely ACT perspective I guess—that assessment alone is not enough. Hand in hand with this legislation must go work particularly on the curriculum. It has become burdensome and overly hefty in the lives of teachers who have to implement all sorts of things that bear no relevance to what our education system should include. As an Associate Minister of Education under this National-led Government I along with ACT will be advocating that we take a big picture look at education. Core amongst that is the introduction of school choice something that ACT has long talked about and campaigned hard on during this election campaign. We should never lose sight of what our goal is. Education is the key to our long-term prosperity. We need our next generation to have the skills and creativity to thrive in the 21st century—not in the 19th century. 
Times have moved on and we must move with them. Right now we are failing our kids. It is time for that to be turned round. We have great opportunities now to strive for excellence not just for kids who manage to do well no matter what but for children who are disadvantaged in terms of their upbringing or in terms of their abilities to learn and for children who are gifted and are currently falling through the gaps in a system that is letting down far too many of our young children. New Zealand’s future depends on a proper education system that allows everybody to achieve to their full potential. I welcome this initiative and ACT proudly supports this bill as a starting measure.