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:592] 
Hon HEATHER ROY (Deputy Leader—ACT) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of the ACT Party to speak to the second reading of the Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill. That was another interesting contribution from the Green member. It seems to have completely escaped her that the ACT Party and the National Party campaigned strongly on education and that was probably one of the main reasons the majority of people in this country voted for a change of Government. That fact seems to have escaped her completely. I am pleased the member mentioned No Child Left Behind because that is exactly what we should be aiming for in this country—no child left behind. In fact we should accept nothing less. 
The Opposition clearly feels very threatened by the thought of national standards in literacy and numeracy. All we have heard is attack attack attack about national standards but we have heard nothing about the first part of this bill which is also very important in relation to school enrolment and attendance. All that Opposition members are focusing on is national standards because they know that it is the right thing to do. Shame on them for standing up member after member and not supporting this initiative! Shame on them! Why are they doing it? Because they fear that it will show that we have an education system that is letting our children down. That is the problem for them—fear that it will show up the last 9 years as a complete failure for the education system in this country. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: What a pathetic joke! 
Hon HEATHER ROY 
: We have had a prescription in the last 9 years. They might joke about it but we have had a failed prescription for the last 9 years that has not worked. The current education system which is about to be radically changed is failing far too many of our children. Although it can be quite good for the academically able—those who will do pretty well no matter what—many children are not learning even the basics and are achieving poor qualifications or frequently no qualifications at all. We should not be happy or content to let this situation continue. Despite rising expenditure New Zealand’s education standards are falling and we have now been overtaken by other developed countries. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: What nonsense! 
Hon HEATHER ROY 
: Mr Carter should try reading the literature. The worst-performing schools are in the poorest areas and parents have limited choice as to the schools they send their children to. Too much is spent on the bloated bureaucracy when it could be spent on schools and on educating children at the front line. Teacher morale is low and many secondary schools suffer poor discipline. 
What we should be striving for is equality. Every single child in New Zealand regardless of family income should have the right to a quality education. No child should be left behind just because of where he or she lives or because of the parents’ financial position. Education is first last and always about children. It is not about the Government or bureaucrats. We need to increase the role of parents and decrease the role of Wellington. That is the commitment I see from the National Party and that is the commitment the ACT Party brings to the incoming Government. Parents have the right to send their children to the school of their choice. After all it is their money paid in their taxes and their children’s futures. 
Here is what ACT wants for all Kiwi kids in terms of education. It will be universal. All school students will get State funding. All schools will be held to account for the success of their students through an assessment system that is objective and transparent and that is what this legislation is about. That is why it is important that it is put in place as quickly as possible. There will be choice. Under ACT parents will be free to choose a school that best fits the needs of their children. It will not matter whether the school is public or private. ACT’s policy will allow diversity in education. It will encourage; it will not stymie hinder and put up road blocks. It will encourage different kinds of schools and new kinds of teaching. 
We will abolish the excessively bureaucratic system of classifying and funding schools according to their character and who owns them. That is not important. We want to see funding of all schools on the same formula and we will give them greater freedom to develop special characteristics. These are the discussions we should be having about education in this country. We should not be having discussions about who owns the school. We believe in diversity and we reject the one-size-fits-all approach to education as does every party on this side of the House. [ 
Interruption 
] Our critics these people over here should stand up and take a call. Our critics prefer State monopoly and State control to parental choice and diversity. 
Hon Pete Hodgson 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I apologise to the member for interrupting her speech. The reason I have done so is that she has made a series of policy statements using the word “our”—our position etc. I am not sure whether she is giving a position of the new National - ACT - United Future - Maori Party Government or whether she is giving the position of the ACT Party. Through you Mr Assistant Speaker I suggest that it would be helpful for order if she would tell us that for indeed if it is the former we are in some trouble. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: The point Mr Hodgson has raised is a pure debating point. He is destructively breaking up a very good speech from Heather Roy and I think you should discipline the member for disrupting a speech in that way. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: I would say to the honourable member who has just made the point that if the Speaker disciplined every member who raised a point of order that was not a point of order there would be an awful lot of discipline in this House. The member though is correct. It was a political point. It is a debating matter. 
Hon HEATHER ROY 
: The member who made the point of order in the first instance clearly was not listening when I said: “Here’s what ACT wants to do for all Kiwi kids.” If he had listened a little more carefully he would have heard that from the start. But we have a Government now that is prepared to think that is prepared to look broadly for solutions to problems that exist—problems that have been caused by 9 years under the Opposition when it was in Government—and that is prepared to listen and think broadly about solutions to advantage the children in this country. Now the Opposition is rejecting striving for excellence rejecting expectations and rejecting having standards as a measuring tool so that parents know how their children are doing—as they ought to be able to expect. 
The Labour member Kelvin Davis actually made a very good contribution earlier I felt and several people on this side of the House have mentioned that. He talked about excellent teachers raising achievement and he is absolutely correct. He mentioned a whole number of initiatives that are very important—things that members will routinely hear from speakers on this of the House—and I would like to congratulate him on those comments. But I am sad he came to an absolutely bizarre conclusion after putting forward those very good points. I look forward to the member making some useful contributions on education but the conclusions he came to bore absolutely no relationship to the comment that he had made. 
I would say to the member that it is not a situation of “either/or”; we should be striving for excellent teachers to raise education standards and achievement at the same time as encouraging excellence in teaching. The two are not mutually exclusive; it is not “either/or” it is “both/and” I say to Mr Davis. I want to keep hearing that sort of initiative from his side of the House because that is the sort of thing that can further education and achievement in this country. 
The Hon Bill English’s first reading speech made some very good comments about expectations and this is what this bill is all about: it is about having the right sorts of expectations for our children in education. When we expect excellence when we expect every child to achieve to the best of his or her ability we will actually have excellent teachers excellent standards excellent schools and excellent education in this country. So how do we meet these expectations? ACT believes they can be met with school choice. I say to Mr Hodgson that the ACT Party is supporting the National Party—just in case in two sentences’ time he has forgotten I said the word “ACT” and worries about where this initiative might be coming from. ACT believes that the expectations can be met with school choice. We campaigned strongly on this and it played a large part in our negotiations which resulted in the National-ACT confidence and supply agreement. 
We are pleased that National has stated that it will work over time to increase the educational choices available to parents and pupils so that families have more freedom to select schooling options that best meet the individual needs of their children. We look forward to the setting up of the inter-party working-group which will be resourced as necessary to consider and report on policy options relating to the funding and regulation of schools which will increase parental choice and school autonomy. This bill we are debating tonight is a great start in that process and I welcome this initiative that has been brought to the House tonight by the National Party. The ACT Party will be supporting it through its entire course.