3. Schools Canterbury—Closures and Mergers Ombudsman's Report and Student Well-beingCHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) to the Minister of EducationSchools Canterbury—Closures and Mergers Ombudsman's Report and Student Well-being3. CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) to the Minister of Education: Will she apologise on behalf of the Government for the flawed handling of the Canterbury school mergers and closures after the 2011 earthquakes; if not why not?Hon LOUISE UPSTON (Associate Minister of Education) on behalf of the Minister of Education: I am advised that she has personally liaised with the Ombudsman on his findings and committed to learning relevant lessons from his report. It is the intention of the Minister of Education and the Secretary for Education to meet with Canterbury schools. This is likely to be in August but could be earlier depending on when people are available. In this meeting she also intends to personally apologise for the initial mishandling of the communications to schools to reiterate the previous Minister's apology and to listen to any ongoing concerns of schools as a result of the report. It is also her intention to update the schools on the $1.137 billion Canterbury rebuild programme and the working group that is being established to work on guidelines for future mergers and closures. I am advised that in addition to changes the Ministry of Education has already made to its merger and closure process the Minister has asked it to work with civil defence expertise to ensure that appropriate lessons have been learnt regarding the ministry response and the recovery from the major earthquakes.Chris Hipkins: Does she agree with the editorial in the Press that stated that her predecessor became notorious in Christchurch for a stubbornness and insensitivity that bordered on arrogance."; if not why not?Hon LOUISE UPSTON: What I will say is that the former Minister apologised in person—community by community school by school face to face to the people who counted. She was also responsible for ensuring $1.139 billion of investments to make sure we have the most modern learning environments for the learners and schoolchildren in Canterbury.Chris Hipkins: Why was student well-being and mental health not regarded as a pervasive factor by the Government when deciding whether to merge or close schools and does she now agree with the Press editorial that it added to the impression of bureaucratic heartlessness and cold inflexibility?Mr SPEAKER: There are two supplementary questions there. The Minister can address one or the other.Hon LOUISE UPSTON: As I have said the Minister and the ministry intend to meet with Canterbury schools to talk about what other opportunities there are to already changed processes around mergers and closures to look at what else has to occur. But I will remind the House and remind that member that the series of earthquakes had a devastating impact across the region across the country. No one had prepared for them. No one could have anticipated them. I think the Ministry of Education did an extraordinary job under very very challenging circumstances.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question that I asked the Minister was around why the Government did something at the time not what about it is doing in the future.Mr SPEAKER: No I am not going to assist the member at this stage. It was quite a convoluted question and there were actually two parts to the question. There should really be only one. As far as I am concerned that question has been addressed.Chris Hipkins: What additional support will she now put in place given the Ombudsman's finding that the impact of the trauma caused by the earthquakes and the ensuing social upheaval on young children's learning and behaviour is becoming more evident as time passes?Hon LOUISE UPSTON: The ministry has made a number of changes to improve its processes generally as a result of the lessons learnt from the devastation in Canterbury. In addition to the Ombudsman's report there is further work that is occurring in terms of what else can occur and very importantly it is working closely with the civil defence emergency teams because it is a wider response than just the Ministry of Education. There is a significant amount of work that has gone on and continues to go on in supporting the children in Christchurch.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was quite specific about the additional support for youth mental health as a result of the earthquakes—Mr SPEAKER: On this occasion I am going to invite the member to repeat his question.Chris Hipkins: What additional support will she put in place given the Ombudsman's finding that the impact of the trauma caused by the earthquakes and the ensuing social upheaval on young children's learning and behaviour is becoming more evident as time passes?Hon LOUISE UPSTON: I said—if the member had listened to the answer that I gave to the first question—very clearly that the Minister of Education and the Secretary for Education are going to be in Christchurch talking to Canterbury schools. They will be listening to any ongoing concerns they have and I would expect that there might be changes as a result of those conversations.Chris Hipkins: Does she think that telling the House today that the Ministry of Education handled the process exceptionally well given the circumstances is somewhat in contradiction with her statement that the Minister is now going to apologise and in contradiction with the fact that the Ministry of Education has apologised for a process that is widely regarded as wrong and adding to the trauma that people had already experienced?Hon LOUISE UPSTON: As I have said there has been an apology already made for the process that had occurred—Dr Megan Woods: You said you did it well.Hon LOUISE UPSTON: No I said in my supplementary answer to the question the member raised that there was a set of exceptional circumstances and challenges in Canterbury. In this instance the report has found that there were some areas that were not done well for which apologies have been given and further work is ongoing. So I would appreciate that the member should take that into consideration."