Smith Nick: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Smith Nick: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:607;Page:5047] 
12.  
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (NZ National—Nelson) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Why does he describe the results of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study released yesterday as “very pleasing” when New Zealand primary schools are ranked second-worst at reading among English-speaking countries and fall behind the Czech Republic Hungary and Lithuania? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education))  
on behalf of the 
 Minister of Education 
: The study undertaken in 2001 shows that New Zealand primary school students’ overall performance in reading is virtually the same as it was in 1990. However the results also indicate that far more work could have been done during the 1990s to further improve the reading literacy levels of all primary school students. This is why the Government has focused on literacy. For example this year we are investing nearly $12 million to lift teacher professional capability in literacy. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Supplementary question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No the National Party has used up its supplementary questions. Are there any further supplementary questions? 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Mr Speaker you have effectively eliminated my opportunity to have my first supplementary question. I seek leave of the House to ask a further supplementary question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is a perfectly reasonable request. Leave is sought. Is there any objection? There is. 
Dr Ashraf Choudhary 
: What initiatives have the Government put in place to raise the literacy rate of school students? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The initiatives include the literacy leadership programme assisting principals and school literacy leaders to improve literacy levels; the recently released Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning helping schools identify specific areas of reading writing and innumeracy where students are having difficulty so problems can be picked up and dealt with early; and finally better support and resources for teachers to enhance their classroom programmes and practice. 
Deborah Coddington 
: How bad would the reading ability of New Zealand children have to be for this Minister not to be pleased especially since he thinks being second-worst in the English-speaking world is very pleasing? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Part of the pleasure that the Minister of Education has is in the assurance that we are maintaining ourselves in terms of comparisons but I do say to the member that what we are comparing here is not quite what it seems. For example Dr Smith has put out a release today that compared us back to 1970 until this report. In 1970 the assessment was of fourth-form or 14-year-old students; the 2001 report is of 9-year-old students. For this country by the time students reach 15 years of age we are third in the world. I think the Minister of Education takes some pleasure from that. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The acting Minister of Education could get a job as the Information Minister for Iraq. We are the second-worst country in the English language we are behind the Czech Republic and Lithuania and he gets up and tells us that everything is OK. That cannot be a satisfactory answer. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is a very interesting comment for Thursday afternoon. As the member knows that is not a point of order. 
Bernie Ogilvy 
: Does the Minister accept that the report’s finding of reading literacy rates in New Zealand remaining stagnant over the last 10 years is really an appalling indictment of two consecutive Governments’ 10-year failure in tackling our woeful literacy rates? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: It is an indictment of the National Government during the 1990s which is why of course we have made literacy such a high priority for this Government. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think we should allow the Minister to finish. He was asked about two Governments. He has told us about the National Government. Can he tell us now what he thinks of the Labour Government? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is trifling with the Chair because the member did address that part of the question. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. How can it be acceptable in this House that now in three answers the Minister has given he has made reference to National’s period of administration and there has been no step-in by yourself—and that is all OK—yet you are blocking the opportunity for this side of the House to ask supplementary questions? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I am not blocking the opportunity at all. I have allocated a number at the start of this session and that is it. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is certainly within your discretion as pointed out by the Hon Richard Prebble under Speaker Gray’s ruling where the Prime Minister early in the day evaded questions so as not to include those in the allocation granted to National. That assumption was clearly made earlier in question time and quite rightly given the Prime Minister’s answers. I am simply asking you to use the discretion that Speakers’ rulings and the Standing Orders give to allow a perfectly reasonable question on a critical issue. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Members have to make their own choices as to where their questions lie and where their priorities lie. In asking supplementary questions this Parliament spends more time on questions than any other Parliament I know of. 
Bernie Ogilvy 
: Does the Minister accept that until we make improvements in the basics of education such as ensuring that all New Zealanders learn to read adequately we cannot even begin to expect to regain our place in the top 10 of the OECD? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I do. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I seek the leave of the House to table the first education announcement of the Labour Government to cancel National’s literacy testing. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I seek the leave of the House to table the previous Government’s strategy that every 9-year-old should be able to read by 2005 abandoned by this Government. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I seek leave of the House to table the 2001 select committee report on reading where there are 51 recommendations that the Government has ignored. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: This is now getting to the point where the member can have his last one. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I seek the leave of the House to table the report that shows that New Zealand has the second-lowest literacy levels of any English-speaking country in the survey. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is. 
John Carter 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. We just saw what I think is an extraordinary event. Every member in this House has a right to seek leave to table documents. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Yes and I just want to say to the member that I made a mistake.