Flavell Te Ururoa: Urgent Debates — Schools Canterbury—Proposed Closures and Mergers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Urgent Debates — Schools Canterbury—Proposed Closures and Mergers 
[Sitting date: 18 September 2012. Volume:684;Page:5289. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Speaker ka nui te mihi ki a koe otira ki a tatou o te Whare i tenei ra. Ko te nuinga o nga korero kua korero ketia e wetahi a no reira ka waiho ake era korero kia iri i te pakitara-a-Whare. E hangai tonu ana waku korero ki nga mea me ki kua puta i roto i nga korero o nga mea o roto i nga kura kaupapa Maori. Me taku mohio ano hoki kei te ngakaunui to tatou Minita ki te ahuatanga o te kura kaupapa Maori. Kua mohio tonu ia ki nga piki me nga heke e pa ana ki nga kura kaupapa Maori no reira ko aku korero he mea whakatupato noa ake ka mutu ko nga korero kua puta mai ki nga taringa o te Pati Maori ina tata nei. 
No reira me penei rawa te korero wa poto i muri o te putanga o te korero i roto o Otautahi kua ahua rereke te noho o nga kura i roto o tera takiwa. I tae mai tetahi imera i tetahi o nga matua o roto o te kura kaupapa Maori o Te Whanau Tahi. Ko Melanie Riwai Couch te ingoa o te wahine nei ana i patai a ia i etahi patai. Anei tana korero i te reo Pakeha: “The two kura each have a very distinct and unique history and while supportive of each other any talk of merger spells a death knell to any Maori school. The earthquakes are just a cover and local Maori families committed to Te Reo Maori are likely to be the ones to pay for this experiment. Whatever happened to partnership protection and participation?”. Koi nei te ia o tana korero. Ka mutu koi na tana korero. 
Kua oti i te mema a Catherine Delahunty te whakaara ake i etahi o nga take kua puta mai i roto i nga korero engari tera pea e rua nga take nui. Tuatahi ko te wa korerorero mo te take nei me ki i te reo Pakeha ko te consultation a kua rongo nga taringa o te Minita i ia e korero ana mo te tekau ma marama pea e korerohia ana. Haunga tera korero ka mutu me ki  kua oti ke i a ia otira Te Tahuhu o te Matauranga te whakatau i te huarahi ka whaiwhai haeretia e nga kura a nga tau kai mua i te aroaro. E ai ki te Melanie Couch nei he huarahi tenei me ki e whaia ana hei whakakotahi nei ano nei e orite ana nga kura e rua engari ko ta ratou he ki atu me ki ko nga mea o roto i nga kura e rua ehara. He rereke ano nga kura. A tena kura me ona korero me tona wairua. Tera kura me ona korero me tona wairua. 
No reira ko ta matou te Pati Maori ko te ki atu ae kare a matou raruraru ki te whai atu i tetahi huarahi hai whakapakari ake i Te Reo Maori te wairua Maori te ngakau Maori te tikanga Maori hei oranga mo te painga o nga tamariki otira nga whanau i roto i nga kura. Ko te mate ke i Otautahi e ai ki ta matau e rongo nei tuatahi kare te ru o roto o Otautahi i pa ki nga kura katahi ka rua kai te pai ratau. Kua ki e ai ki ta ratau ehara i te mea kua puta te nuinga ki wahi ke. He aha te take kua pa mai Te Tahuhu o te Matauranga ki te ki atu a me whakakotahi nei korua na runga i te ahuatanga o te ru. Ko ta ratau ko te ki atu e kao kare i te tika. Ko tetahi i roto i Te Kura Whakapumau i te Reo Tuturu ki Waitaha i ki mai ia tino ohorere ia na runga i te kore korero a tetahi ki a ratau. Mana tena e whakautu mana tena e korero. 
Ko tetahi o nga take nui kua puta mai ko te ki a etahi o roto i nga kura kaupapa Maori he huarahi tenei ki te kura hou ara ko te kura hou rua ara ko te charter school. Kare au i te tino mohio ae ranei kare ranei engari tera korero ana kua tapirihia atu ki nga korero o te whakakotahitanga i nga kura kai reira tonu tetahi raruraru nui. Ehara i te mea kai te whakaae atu ranei kei te whakahe ranei i tera huarahi ma tena iwi ma tena hapu tera e korero. Mena koi ra te huarahi e hiahiatia nei e Ngai Tahu. Ka pai whaia atu. Engari ehara i te mea e penei e pera. Me whai atu i nga huarahi e rua mena koi ra ta ratau e pirangi nei kura kaupapa Maori ae kura reorua kai a ratau tera. 
Na hei whakamutu i taku korero e rua noa iho nga kura kaupapa Maori o roto o Otautahi. Ara no nga kura reorua kei St Albans kei Richmond kei Rowley kei Woolston ano hoki. Ko te mate ke e rua noa iho nga kura kai tera takiwa. Ahakoa he tokomaha tonu nga Maori kei tera takiwa e noho ana. Ki te whakakotahi nei ki te whakakao nei i nga kura e rua nei ka whakaaro ake ae ranei ka tipu ko tenei mea te kura kaupapa Maori a nga tau. Ko wai ka mohio? 
Ka mutu ko te kupu whakamutunga ko tera i puta i a Mark Solomon ko tana ki mai kai te noho awangawanga ia mo te huarahi e whai haeretia ana e ratau. Ko tana ki mai: “[We] support the extension of Maori-medium education throughout Christchurch and any reduction in services would be inconsistent with this kaupapa”. No reira me ki ko Ngai Tahu kai roto i nga whiriwhiringa katoa te tumanako ia ka aro mai te Minita ka mutu te tahuhu ki enei manawapa kua puta i roto o te hapori o Otautahi. Kia ora tatau. 
[ 
Thank you Mr Speaker and a huge acknowledgment to you and indeed to all of us in the House today. Most of the issues have been addressed already by some and so I will leave those sentiments hanging there on the walls of the House. My comments will focus on things that came out of what those involved in Maori-medium schools have stated knowing full well that our Minister of Education is passionate about the situation relating to Maori-medium schools. She understands the ups and downs that Maori-medium schools experience so my sentiments are merely of a cautionary nature and about what the Maori Party has heard just recently.  
So let me put it this way: in a short space of time following the announcement of the Christchurch plan the plight of kura in that area has changed somewhat. An email arrived from one of the parents involved with Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o te Whanau Tahi. Melanie Riwai Couch is the name of this woman. Now she really asked some searching questions. Here is what she said in English: “The two kura each have a very distinct and unique history and while supportive of each other any talk of merger spells a death knell to any Maori school. The earthquakes are just a cover and local Maori families committed to Te Reo Maori are likely to be the ones to pay for this experiment. Whatever happened to partnership protection and participation?”. That is the gist of her comments and that is what she said.  
The member Catherine Delahunty has already brought up some of the issues that have emerged from some of the talk but there are two major issues perhaps. Firstly the korerorero about this issue—the consultation perhaps in English. The Minister has heard as she was talking that the consultations will be for 18 months. That aside the second major issue is that she and indeed the Ministry of Education have already determined the future merging process that the two kura will follow. To Melanie Couch this merging process to be followed by the two kura makes the assumption that the two schools are similar but they are not. They are telling the Government that each kura is distinctly different to the other. The stories and spirituality about each one are quite different.  
We the Maori Party are saying yes we do not have a problem pursuing a process that will strengthen Maori language spirituality feelings and culture for the well-being and benefit of children and indeed of families in both kura. The problem really in Christchurch according to what we heard is that the Christchurch earthquake did not affect either kura. That is the first thing. The second is that they are fine. To them it is not as though the majority of students moved to some other place. Why has the Ministry of Education contacted and told them that your two kura must merge due to the earthquake? They have said no that is not right. A person from Te Kura Whakapumau i te Reo Tuturu ki Waitaha said to us that he was really shocked because no one spoke to them. No one said: “I will respond to that. I will speak to you about that.”  
One of the big issues that emerged was the speculation by some in Maori-medium schools that this is an avenue towards a new school a new merged school: the charter school. I do not know for sure whether it is yes or no but that is the talk and it adds to the statements for the two kura to merge into one and that brings up another big problem. It is not as though one agrees or disagrees to that avenue. It is for that tribe and subtribe to determine. If that is the way that Ngai Tahu want to go well and good go for it. But it is not saying this or that one in particular. They must pursue both avenues if this is what they want; Maori-medium schools or bilingual schools that is up to them.  
To end my address there are only two Maori-medium schools in Christchurch and a bilingual school at St Albans Richmond Rowley and also Woolston. The problem is that there are only two kura in that area despite the large number of Maori living there. To merge or gather these two kura together the thinking might be yes this thing called a Maori-medium school might grow in years to come. Who is to know that?  
In the end the final word might be that which Mark Solomon expressed when he alluded to the fact that he was somewhat concerned at the path that was being pursued. He said: “[We] support the extension of Maori-medium education throughout Christchurch and any reduction in services would be inconsistent with this kaupapa”. So let us assume that Ngai Tahu is participating in all negotiations. The hope is that the Minister and eventually the ministry take heed of the concerns that have come out of the Christchurch community. My appreciation to us all. 
]