Shanks Katrina: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Shanks Katrina: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
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KATRINA SHANKS (National) 
: 
 I begin my speech this afternoon by congratulating the Prime Minister on his statement to Parliament on Tuesday. The National-led Government was elected to secure a brighter future for New Zealand. We were elected for our vision of a safe prosperous and successful New Zealand. We were elected because we believe that all New Zealanders can and should reach their goals and dreams. 
As the Prime Minister read his speech to Parliament on Tuesday he talked about the $64 more that New Zealanders earning the average wage will take home in their pay packets each week thanks to the National-led Government. He talked about the new company tax which will give businesses more capacity to grow and create new jobs by making our companies more competitive with those in Australia and in the rest of the world. That is important if we are serious about our growth. It is important if we are serious about raising the prosperity of New Zealand and all New Zealanders. He talked about opportunity; he talked about a real future. In the Prime Minister’s speech the people of New Zealand saw a Government of action; they saw a Government of vision. I am proud to be a part of this National-led Government. 
On Tuesday the co-leader of the Greens Metiria Turei got up and spoke about her father—an ordinary guy who just wanted to have an ordinary life. She hopes for that ordinary life for all New Zealanders. Well we in the National-led Government do not want to turn out just ordinary New Zealanders. We have a vision of creating a New Zealand where our children will have the best possible opportunities get the best possible futures and have choices about where they work because in New Zealand we have globally competitive salaries. Our people are so well-educated and so well-thought-of that they can go anywhere in the world to get a job. They have options but more important we want them to have options to come back to New Zealand and live in this great country. 
Last year I was in Ohariu giving an address at a prize-giving at St Benedict’s School in Khandallah and I quoted Sir Ernest Rutherford. Sometimes we forget that we have great New Zealanders. He said that we did not have much money in New Zealand so we had to think. He Sir Edmund Hillary Richard Pearse and Kate Sheppard were all just ordinary Kiwi kids but they had an extraordinary vision and that is what the National-led Government aspires to for all our children. 
When Labour left office in 2008 one in five children was leaving school not able to read write or do maths well enough to succeed. In fact one in five could not go out and get a job because they were not educated enough. In early childhood education 8 percent of Maori children are missing out 15 percent of Pasifika children are missing out and 12 percent of children in lower socio-economic areas are missing out. In fact in some areas one in four children misses out. These areas include Counties-Manukau and Northland. These figures might have been acceptable for the Labour Government. Labour members sit there and laugh at these statistics. But it is not acceptable for a National-led Government. 
We know that education is the key to economic success we know that it is the key to personal freedom and we know that it is the key to choice. The National-led Government is committed to building the skills and knowledge of New Zealanders and building what we need for future-proofed jobs. It starts with getting the basics right. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: There must be one electorate where 100 percent of kids can’t read and write. 
KATRINA SHANKS 
: The previous member for Otaki over there is asking about the children in Ohariu. I will tell members about the children in Ohariu. Around 2400 children are currently enrolled in early education in Ohariu but the important thing is that we make access to early childhood education easier for all children. In Ohariu we are lucky. We are predominantly middle-class we are well educated and we know the value of education. But if one is talking about children in South Auckland or if one is talking about children in Northland those parents do not understand or put as much emphasis on education as they would in other areas where they already have higher participation in early childhood education. 
Our priority is to make early childhood education accessible to even more children. We are spending $1.4 billion on early childhood education over the next 4 years—the most ever spent by any Government. This is being spent by a National-led Government. It reflects the importance we place on the future of our young children. 
Government spending on early childhood education has almost trebled in the last 5 years but the number of families accessing early childhood education has stayed low. We have to ask ourselves whether we are spending the money the right way. We need to target Maori and Pasifika children and children from low-income backgrounds. These children are less likely to take part but would benefit the most. That is why the National-led Government is investing $91.8 million in five community-led projects that will allow 3500 extra children across the country to access early childhood education. 
This Government is focused on building better literacy and numeracy skills in primary school children around New Zealand. Part of this focus is our national standards policy. I think every parent has a right to know how their children are doing whether their children need additional help and whether they actually need to be extended. If we are to produce the brightest we have to ensure they get every opportunity in New Zealand to become the brightest. 
We are also building more responsive secondary schools that can provide a wider range of pathways so students who do not want to pursue the academic path to university have options. They will have options to build their skills and talents and will have choices in life just like everybody else. 
We understand it is not easy at school for every child. Yesterday the Prime Minister talked about the more than 220000 children who live in benefit-dependent households. That is 220000 children who live in benefit-dependent households. I am absolutely passionate about this issue. We know that getting people off benefits and into work improves their quality of life and their children’s quality of life. This Government is committed to finding pathways for people on benefits—pathways so they can have hope so they can have prosperity so they can have choice and so they can get ahead in life. We do not want them to be dependent on the State and they do not want to be dependent on the State. They want to go out and help themselves so we are providing pathways for them. We will support people on benefits to find jobs that suit them. This Government is committed to helping people on to pathways to employment. 
In the justice area the Prime Minister talked about the Government’s work to protect children from abuse introducing new laws to toughen the penalty for neglecting or ill treating a child. Nobody in this House would argue that we are the worst offenders for neglecting and abusing our children but we all know that although the Government can put measures in place it is not just the Government’s responsibility; it is the whole community’s responsibility to ensure our children stay safe. Our Government is committed to ensuring that we have this debate in New Zealand that it is at the forefront of people’s minds and that if one sees something happening at the end of one’s street one goes and does something about it. 
Our Government is one of ambition it is one of encouragement and it is one that believes that every New Zealander can be more than just ordinary. We believe in a world-class education system a globally competitive economy globally competitive salaries effective health-care valuing families opportunity for all and encouraging ambition: I am proud to stand here as a member of a National-led Government today. Thank you.