Delahunty Catherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDelahunty Catherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13547. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.CATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green) to theMinister of Education: Will she allow creationism to be taught in charter schools; if so why?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education):Tēnā hoki koe e te ManaWhakahaeremō tewhakanuiingāwahineitēneitau.[Salutations to you as well for honouring women this year Mr Speaker.]All partnership kura are delivering the New Zealand curriculum TeMarautanga o Aotearoa. Two of the five schools are permitted to offer religious education during school hours as are integrated schools. Any religious instruction will be delivered alongside but not in place of the curriculum.Catherine Delahunty: Would she be concerned to learn that one of the charter schools that is to get taxpayer money intends to give equal weight to the teaching of intelligent design creationism and evolution in the science curriculum?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I invite the member to table the exchange of emails between the Opposition parties that make it very clear what the school in question is proposing to offer. It is very clear that the science curriculum will be taught in the national curriculum and that religious faith instruction will occur alongside of that. There is no definition of creationism even amongst communities of faith and I would commend the member to—and I am happy to table this—refer to a speech given by a former Green Party MP Jeanette Fitzsimons entitled “Living Within the Limits of Creation” where the member talked about both how one constructed economic growth theory and what the Bible had to commend to people.Pērāanōtētahi. Kei temōhio koemōngā kura kaupapa ekōreroanamōPapatūānuku me Ranginui etūnei.[There is a parallel situation. You are aware of references to Earth Mother and the great Sky Father that exist inMāori-medium schools.]Catherine Delahunty: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It was a very interesting answer but I asked whether she was concerned and I am not sure that she explained whether she was concerned about the science curriculum.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member is now making the mistake of using the point of order system to question or debate the answer that she has been given. The answer addressed the question. If the member has further supplementary questions that is the appropriate way to get more information from the Minister.Catherine Delahunty: What will she do to ensure creationism is not part of the science curriculum taught at South Auckland Middle School given that spokespersonAlwyn Poole told the Green Party that it intends to teach Christian theory on the origin of the planet?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The contract that we have with the partnership kura including South Auckland Middle School is for the delivery of the national curriculum within which the science strand dealing with evolution for year 8 is dealt with. I have seen the email exchanges between the principal and the Green Party and I invite thatmember to table them which would make it clear that the science curriculum will be taught as part of the science curriculum and that any religious instruction will be taught alongside that curriculum. That is what the contract is for.Chris Hipkins: For clarity—is the Minister saying that the contract allows the teaching of creationism as a competing theory with evolution on equal footing?Hon HEKIA PARATA: No.