Turei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Turei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:615;Page:10865] 
3.  
METIRIA TUREI (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Why is he closing or proposing to close dozens of schools up and down the country despite strong community opposition to those closures? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 I suggest that the member consults members who have been involved in the reviews—in attending meetings or making submissions—including Messrs English Power Carter Peck Peters Sutton Duynhoven and O’Connor and Jill Pettis. She may then be better informed. In being better informed she will know that this Government wants to ensure that all our children have access to strong sustainable quality schools into the future. We have had a substantial drop in population in some areas and it is projected to continue in those areas and in some others. 
Metiria Turei 
: Why does the Minister expect that families will now choose to move to Southland to contribute to the significant population growth and economic boom in that area when there are now significantly fewer schools for the children of those families to attend due to his school closure campaign? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: In Invercargill there are 3500 spare spaces in schools. There is one school where the student numbers have dropped by 340 in 2 years. Invercargill agrees that it needs change; it is just a matter of what change. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I have been asked by Television New Zealand—to help contribute to the sound feed—to ask members to please remember to turn the microphone towards them when they speak as we lose the audio on the broadcast when they do not. That information has just been handed to me. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I was thinking of writing a letter about this matter as it would also help if the sound technicians realised that it is parliamentary for members to speak towards the Speaker. Yesterday I noticed that they were switching on microphones that were facing the other way. It would be very unparliamentary for a member to speak like that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: This is a new system and there are a few teething troubles although it is a much better system. I appreciate receiving comments such as that. People can contact me afterwards and I will make sure that those sorts of comments are followed up immediately. 
Hon Bill English 
: Why did the Minister decide that the merged school comprising Grantlea Seadown Washdyke and Marchwiel schools should go on the Marchwiel site rather than the Grantlea site as recommended by officials; and can he confirm the widespread rumour in Timaru that it is because the principal of Marchwiel School and his wife are Labour Party activists? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: It is there because I consider it to be the most logical place. I was not aware until informed by the  
Timaru Herald 
 of the activities of the principal and his wife. 
Jill Pettis 
: Has the Minister had any suggestions for alternative methods of identifying schools for review? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Yes I have seen two newspaper articles that suggest that reviews should be done on a different basis. They suggest that all 126 one-teacher schools should be subject to review all 129 schools that receive an Education Review Office supplementary review should be subject to review and over 400 schools with more than 30 percent of spare capacity should be subject to review. I will not adopt Bill English’s policy. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: Why did the Minister ignore the call by Ngati Hine for a school that they could call their own and instead lump them in with Ngapuhi in his recent decisions on schooling in the mid-north; and how does this decision honour the Treaty of Waitangi? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I think it is fair to say that I looked at the needs of the young people. In fact the majority of children at the kura—Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Taumarere I think from memory—are Ngati Hine children. Therefore if the parents of Ngati Hine want to get in behind that school—they want to make some changes that I think most people who know about the school know are necessary—then it is up to them. 
Rod Donald 
: Why is the Minister planning to drastically reduce the choices available to parents for their children’s education by closing for example Watlington Intermediate the only intermediate school in Timaru or Salisbury primary a rural school south of Timaru or for that matter Grantlea or the Ngati Hine school in the north and will he heed the petition tabled today from the Mayor of Invercargill and over 7000 citizens of that city calling for a halt to his network review programme? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I will not run through all the cases. There was a clear call from people in Timaru for full primary schools—a call that I heeded. On the question of the mayor’s call for a delay in the review process it is my view that there is enough stress in Invercargill now and that we are better to come to decisions and have good schools there from the beginning of next year rather than to stretch out the agony and have more and more poor Education Review Office reports and have schools that have drops of 340 over 2 years the way that that member seems to want things to continue. He just does not care about kids. 
Mike Ward 
: Why did the Minister not consult with the Minister of Transport the Minister of Health and the Minister for Industry and Regional Development before embarking on the network review process that is likely to impact on their portfolio responsibilities? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I look very carefully at transport issues as part of this exercise. I think it is fair to say that the Minister of Transport the Minister in charge of school buses and I have had a very good look at that. It is likely that the dog’s breakfast that is the school transport system in many areas will be improved as a result of these changes. 
Metiria Turei 
: Given the Minister’s avid interest in school transport can he identify for this House how many walking school buses will now be cancelled because children live too far from their nearest school to walk and how that accords with the Government’s own transport and energy strategies? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Very easily—none. 
Rod Donald 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I take strong personal offence to the Minister’s claim that I do not care about kids and I would like to ask him to withdraw and apologise. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister made that comment. I cannot hear every single comment that is made and we have to consider comments in their context. I did not find that comment other than a debating comment and I really think that we have to allow some cut and thrust in debate in this House. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I actually considered raising that matter myself under Standing Order 370 at the time that the comment was made but I took it that the member did not object. In terms of the Standing Order a member is not to include discreditable references. To say that someone “does not care about kids” is abuse. It does not meet the requirements of Standing Order 370 which states that replies have to be concise and confined to the subject matter. I think perhaps the member is out of order in a different matter in that he should have raised that earlier. But I would not like you to tell Mr Mallard at this early stage of this year that he can end all his questions with a piece of abuse. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: It would probably help if I did withdraw. We may get some peace out of that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I thank the Minister for doing that because I was going to rule in that way in favour of the member. I think Mr Prebble’s comment was sensible.