Kaye Nikki: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Kaye Nikki: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:652;Page:1912] 
3.  
NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: What steps has the Government taken to fast track school property projects? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) 
: 
 The Government has today announced the names of 81 schools that will be receiving funding to get new or expanded buildings through the first allocation of property funding to schools under the Government’s jobs and growth plan. Many of these schools would normally have waited until the end of the year to receive approval and funding. Because of this announcement they are getting approval to begin work at least 6 months earlier. Seventy-four schools will receive $30 million to extend existing buildings and seven schools will receive $11 million to replace buildings that are no longer economically viable to maintain. 
Nikki Kaye 
: Does today’s announcement deliver on the promises made when the fast tracking of school building projects was announced in February? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: Yes it does; in fact it more than delivers. In February we promised that the $30 million to have better administration buildings halls and libraries would be distributed to 64 schools. The announcement today will see 74 schools given funding for those purposes. That is 10 more schools and communities than we originally promised to help to upgrade their buildings and keep jobs in the community. 
Su’a William Sio 
: Will the Minister confirm that she has frozen $9 million of funding that would have provided nine preschool facilities for 16000 children under 5 years in Manukau who currently have no access to early childhood education; and how is it that depriving 16000 children of access to preschool education would not be OK for the leafy suburbs but is somehow OK for Manukau City? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: No I have not frozen it. In fact there was not $9 million there. This Labour Government promised and hoped. There is $2.6 million available and instead of coming down to Wellington and building something and hoping that children would come I have met with the City of Manukau Education Trust with Manukau City Council and with principals and asked them what they think will work for their communities. We do not dictate to communities what is good for them; we ask them for the answers. 
Chris Hipkins 
: How can the Minister claim that her Government is fast tracking school property funding projects when the schools in Upper Hutt have heard nothing from her or her ministry despite her promise some time ago that they were to receive an extra $30 million in funding and despite their repeated inquiries about how much they will each receive and when they will get it—or is she just making it up as she goes along and not doing the hard yards to deliver on her promises? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I share that member’s concern about the Upper Hutt schools and the disgraceful way that his Labour colleagues froze the capital for those schools for 6 or 7 years. Three Labour Ministers of Education froze the capital for those buildings and I know that that member is concerned about that because I understand that he was advising those three Ministers at the time. However I am delighted to assure the member that this Government will be delivering to those schools in the very near future.