Hipkins Chris: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHipkins Chris: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 11 December 2013. Volume:695;Page:15480. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]9.CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) to theMinister of Education: Does she stand by all of the decisions she has made this year as Minister of Education?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Yes in all the circumstances they were made and the decision I stand by most is the decision to invest $9.7 billion in education in New Zealand the most ever invested in education in this country.Chris Hipkins: Does she stand by her decision to try to close Salisbury School given that Justice Dobson concluded that it was common sense that the risk of sexual abuse for girls with impaired intellect was likely to increase and that “No great leap in logic is required to recognise the validity of concerns …” and that her arguments amounted to “an abrogation of the responsibilities involved in making a decision”?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Yes I do stand by the decision I made in the circumstances at the time. We were concerned with how we would ensure we provided the full range of services to those young people who have special education needs along a continuum from those who had minor needs to those who had most intensive needs. It was never our intention to do away with a residential option. At the time we felt that two met that need. In the event the judge disagreed with us but I stand by the decision I made at the time.Chris Hipkins: Does she stand by her decision to force the merger ofPhillipstown School and Woolston School given that that decision was also overturned by the courts and has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars that should be being spent on education instead being consumed in legal fees because of her botched up process?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I do stand by the decision I made in the circumstances at the time. As the judgment has made clear to those who have actually read it the judge felt that the Ministry of Education had carried out the consultation in good faith and that there was one element only that needed continued consultation and that was to do with the costs. We have subsequently continued the consultation withPhillipstown School and I met with the board last week.Chris Hipkins: Does she stand by her decision to make the Secretary for Education fall on her sword at a cost to the taxpayer of $425000 given that it was a ministerial decision to increase class sizes in last year’s Budget a ministerial decision to propose closures and mergers for schools in Christchurch a ministerial decision to closeSalisbury School and a ministerial decision to sign off on the implementation of Novopay and yet no Minister has been held to account for all of those debacles?Hon HEKIA PARATA: That was not my decision so it should be directed to the Minister whose decision it was. But can I point out that under this Government despite the huge and tragic challenges of the Canterbury earthquakes we have closed less than a quarter of the total that that party closed—over 280—in the time that it was in Government.Chris Hipkins: Does she stand by her decision to stick with the failed national standards given that her own ministry has advised her that national standards have incorrectly measured the achievements of around four out of every 10 students that fewer than half of the parents surveyed believe that national standards provide a valuable record of their students’ learning and that overwhelmingly teachers and principals are saying that national standards have increased bureaucracy for little educational gain?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I do indeed stand by our Government’s decision to implement national standards because unlike the Opposition we want to know how well each and every one of our children is doing in every classroom in every school in this country. What we do know is that over 2100 of those schools returned their national standards report. The member continues to focus on one—yes—useful piece of research that informs us how we may proceed but indeed in the particular survey that the member keeps referring to about 50 percent of those surveyed actually replied. That would be 180 schools out of 2568. Of the 180 schools that replied less than 40 percent related to parents. Of the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement which had a sample of over 2500 schools parents overwhelmingly said—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!Tracey Martin: Kia ora. Does the Minister stand by her ministry’s recent decision that looks to restructure staff funding for Pasifika students requiring English language learning support so that some schools will now have to seek funding from charitable organisations in order to maintain these successful programmes and how does this align with her Government’s achievement aspirations for this group of priority learners?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I do stand by the decisions we are making in the Ministry of Education because we have seen year on year since members on this side of the House came into Government a rise in the achievement of Pasifika students. In early childhood education we have the highest level of participation ever. At secondary level we have the highest level of National Certificate of Educational Achievementachievement ever—Tracey Martin: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was quite specific. Does she stand by the decision—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume her seat. [Interruption] The member will resume her seat. The Minister started her answer by saying that she stands by the decision.