Shanks Katrina: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Shanks Katrina: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:653;Page:2141] 
7.  
KATRINA SHANKS (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: What recent announcements has the Government made about schooling provision in the Wellington area? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) 
: 
 Last week I announced that a new primary school will be built in Churton Park in Wellington at the Amesbury Drive site. The population growth in Churton Park has caused school rolls in the area to swell and projections show that there will be 600 additional primary-age student places by 2021. The new Churton Park school is one of 11 schools to be built over the next 3 years six of which have been brought forward by this Government as part of our fast tracking of school building projects. 
Katrina Shanks 
: Did she consider any other options for schooling provision in Churton Park? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I did consider whether the current Churton Park School should be relocated to this new site in order to create a single primary school for the whole Churton Park area. This proposal would have created a very large primary school with a roll of more than a thousand students and I believe that the interests of this community are better served by having two primary schools. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: How do the educational gains of using recycled property money for pet projects compare with the educational loss of the freezing or canning of a huge number of literacy truancy and teacher professional development initiatives that she has carried out since gaining office? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I know that the former Labour Minister of Education Steve Maharey stated in July 2007 that the Labour— 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Just answer the question. 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: The member should be patient; I am getting there. The member should just listen for another couple of words. He said “The Labour-led Government has prioritised funding to build a new full primary school … in Churton Park.” Contrary to those sorts of expectations no prioritisation of those funds ever occurred under the previous Government. I am advised now that this new school will have to be funded from the Government’s $500 million commitment to school property over the next 3 years. It was all words from that previous Government and no deeds. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do accept that my question was quite long—we all know in this House that Mrs Tolley’s attention span is not long—but she did nothing to address— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will not use the point of order procedure in that way. The member is concerned about the answer to his question but when he puts into a question an accusation that a Minister was playing political games he will not get a very straight answer. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: A further point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I am still on my feet. I will sit down now if the member wants to make a further point of order. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was about literacy numeracy and professional development programmes that are being— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I just wish the Hon Chris Carter would actually reflect on the questions as he is asking them. The way he started the question made it very clear it was not a particularly serious straight question because he built the issue of playing political games into his question. A member cannot expect a Minister to give a clear answer when that is built into the question. I have ruled on the matter. I have warned the honourable member. We will go to the next question. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I take objection. You have just said that my question was not a serious question. My question was about cuts to existing programmes in literacy numeracy and truancy. They are very serious issues it was a serious question and the Minister did not address it. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will resume his seat. If he had asked a straight question he would have received a straight answer. I just wish the member would think about the questions he asks before he wastes the time of the House on such points of order. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was exactly— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I have not called the member. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: Mr Speaker— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will resume his seat. I warn the honourable member that I view wasting the time of the House on spurious points of order very seriously. I warn the member of that. To me that is one of the most serious offences because this Parliament funded by taxpayers is a place where Ministers are held to account. That is an important process and I warn the member that I will not accept spurious points of order. If the member checks his  
Hansard 
 and I invite him to do so he will see what he actually asked the Minister—and I guarantee the member I am not wrong. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I would therefore like to have a commitment from you that if the  
Hansard  
reveals that that is exactly the question I asked then you will apologise to me. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I will indeed. If the  
Hansard  
reveals that I will apologise to the member in this House. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is a different point of order. I seek your clarification about whether rules about the length of questions and answers will be even-handed between the two. The reason I am asking this now—and it is relevant to this situation—is that you indicated that a supplementary question I asked earlier today in question No. 3 was too long and I stopped. It is my judgment—and I stand to be corrected by the  
Hansard 
—that it was considerably shorter than the answer the Minister gave to that question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: If the member actually checks back on his  
Hansard 
 he will find that the question that he asked was not a question. He started the question with “Given”. If he checks his  
Hansard 
 he will find that I am absolutely correct. That is what led to the disorder in the House and led to the difficulty with his question. In terms of the general principle answers will inevitably be a little longer than questions are because questions ask for information and in order to allow information to be given answers will take a little longer. I have been concerned about the excessive length of some answers and I felt that Ministers were improving somewhat on not taking too long to answer questions. But if the member checks back on his  
Hansard 
 he will find that his supplementary question that led to difficulty did not in fact start as a question. 
Charles Chauvel 
: Can the Minister assure the House that the Churton Park Community Association and other local groups will be fully consulted by her ministry with regard to the construction of the new school in Amesbury Drive as well as any consequential changes that are required to the existing school on Churton Drive further to my requests to her in letters dated 9 December 2008 and 17 February 2009? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: Yes I can assure that member that a prescribed process of consultation is now under way with the community. That is part of what one has to do to establish a new school. As he will see from the correspondence that he has received from me I am happy to keep him informed. 
Charles Chauvel 
: I seek leave to table my letters to the Minister that sought assurances as to consultation dated 9 December 2008 and 17 February 2009. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is—[ 
Interruption 
] This is a point of order! Leave is sought to table those letters. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.