Yule Lawrence; Rurawhe AdrianLAWRENCE YULE (National—Tukituki): I wish to rise to speak on the Education Amendment Bill. This is probably the first part of the Government's plan post 100 days but it is actually a significant piece of legislation because what it does is abolish national standards and abolish charter schools. Members on the other side of the Parliament of which at least three maybe four are Ministers—one's asleep but that's OK. There's three Ministers on the other side listening to what I'm about to say because what I really want to comment on first of all before I get on to national standards and charter schools is the inconsistency that I've observed in the last two days in this House around charter schools. Today the Minister of Education stated in this House—less than an hour ago—there will be no impact on existing charter schools. His words not mine. Yesterday the Leader of the Opposition asked the Prime Minister to guarantee those students and boards of trustees and teachers at charter schools that their schools would remain open. As the new leader would she do that? No. The Minister and the Prime Minister are at completely different positions on the guarantees they're prepared to pay to these students who in our society are some of our most vulnerable. And then even worse was that today the Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis said he wouldn't visit a school because he was philosophically opposed to the way in which that school operated—philosophically opposed. Denise Lee: No he couldn't have said that. LAWRENCE YULE: He did say it. Erica Stanford: He did? LAWRENCE YULE: I know! So I think that if Vanguard Military School invited the Associate Minister of Education to their school the challenge would be: would he accept? Denise Lee: He won't. LAWRENCE YULE: No I've heard the line. The line is that he won't accept because under some ministerial conflict process he can't do that. But he then said—worse than that—Last night I reached out to a school. I phoned them." So you can't have it both ways. You can't say "I'm not going to talk to one school because I'm philosophically opposed to it." and then on the other hand reach out to the principal—last night—and ask to give somebody a call. I think that exposes the inconsistency of this Government's approach to this bill. Denise Lee: A shambles. LAWRENCE YULE: It's a shambles and what I want to do is actually expose that because I think those people and those students—particularly at these charter schools—are being sold a pup. Either the Minister is guaranteeing that there is no change or he's not and if he's guaranteeing that why won't the Prime Minister back up that guarantee which is what she refused to do in this House yesterday? I now want to talk about national standards not as a great educator but as a father of four children and as somebody that has had significant time in my life around schools and education. What national standards seek to do—and they're not perfect. I accept that. I heard the Hon Nikki Kaye refer to that. What they seek to do is to give good fair-minded hard-working New Zealand parents an objective view about how their child is doing before it's too late—before it's too late. I remember when I was a child really early on getting school reports—getting school reports—and actually while it was of great interest to me it was of more interest to my parents. Then at secondary school every term I was getting school reports. That was of huge interest to my parents—huge interest. Hon Andrew Little: Don't tell me you were educated under national standards Lawrence. LAWRENCE YULE: No no. I get that. I get that. What I'm saying is my parents were really interested in how I was doing but what it didn't give—what it didn't give in any way shape or form—was how I was doing in a national context. I actually found out when I got to university that some people were way further ahead than I thought I actually was based on—there was no consistent measurement regime. The worst thing—and I've heard the Prime Minister talk about this as well—is we're developing our own standards. We're chucking these national standards out which a whole lot of people like and applaud. I remind this House that in a recent Stuff survey of 50000 people 85 percent—85 percent of those people—said they liked national standards. So we're going to chuck all that out and this Government has no new approach. It says "We'll develop something." Well you go and tell that to the hundreds of thousands of parents all around New Zealand who are waiting to find something. They want to know what their children are going to do. I now want to talk about charter schools because I have had personal experience of a charter school. I don't actually mind that they're not all registered teachers and I don't actually mind that all the students are not reaching national standards because charter schools in many cases deal with a group of children that have failed in the existing system. So if you go in my patch to Te Kura o Mangateretere there are 30 young children there—30 children. They come from all over the North Island. They are at that school because they've either been away from leave out of—what do they call that?—absent. They've been absent or they haven't fitted in. All over the North Island—that's where they come from. The Hon Anne Tolley and I visited them just before the election. It's a small existing school that has been converted. Those students for the first time in their life told us they had some hope aspiration and somebody was looking after them. They're fed. They are never going to go to a trades academy in their current form. These are young kids that have failed in every other form. What you're doing today is writing that opportunity off because you want to put everybody in the same box. And I congratulate David Seymour now he's re-entered the House because his concept was that actually for some people it's not working and there needs to be a different approach and let's throw some of the rules out about the regimented regime—which were largely union- organised—to try and help these young people and that's what's been done. These vulnerable people in my electorate actually are not interested in political ideology. They're not interested in Kelvin Davis telling people that everybody needs to follow a national standard. They're not actually too worried about whether the teachers are qualified or not. For those 30 young people for the first time in their life they're seeing success. Equally we have another group—and I know this and this is being shut down by this legislation as well—of young people who have completely failed in the education system. The State education system completely failed. They have turned themselves into performing arts—really the opera. They are called Project Prima Volta. They are effectively the Sol3 Mio of Hastings—that's what they are. Now because that thing has been so successful in transforming those young men's lives they wanted to set up a type of charter school that was around performance and the arts and actually what's happening today? What's happening today is that opportunity for them is being taken away once and for all. So let me conclude. When we talk about national standards and charter schools and the abolishment of them for many people in New Zealand the abolishment of national standards is misunderstood. I accept the teachers don't like them. I accept that—I heard that in the campaign. But actually parents want to know and for a number of young students in New Zealand charter schools actually offer them a hope of a reasonable and decent life. What this Government's doing because they're trying to straitjacket everything—[Interruption] Well you're either doing it or you're not. You're saying you're abolishing charter schools today. The Minister is saying there will be no change. The Prime Minister won't guarantee it. What I'm speaking about is those 30 kids in my community in Mangateretere that have come from all over the North Island who have no hope and who have been kicked out of every other school—they are being shut down today and I want members of this House on the other side to reflect on that. The very people that you've run your campaign on—lifting them out of poverty; making them part of a successful New Zealand—for those very same people you are talking away all their hopes and aspirations in one fell swoop. Thank you.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): I call the Hon Willie Jackson—a five-minute call. Debate interrupted."