Tinetti JanJAN TINETTI (Labour): I just want to respond a wee bit around the work on cohort entry in a very very short contribution. I spoke in my second reading speech about the work of the Advisory Group on Early Learning that was informing the previous Government led by esteemed people such as Dr Joce Nuttall Dame Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi—the most amazing people that I had the pleasure of being on that group with. In that group it was so evident from the peer-reviewed research evidence that came forward that starting school before five can be damaging to children. That is why we have made this decision.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.JAN TINETTI: Just before the adjournment I was talking about the Advisory Group on Early Learning (AGEL) and the evidence that they presented to the then Government in 2015 where they suggested—or not just suggested but firmly suggested—from the evidence that they had brought forward that having children start school before the age of five could be quite detrimental to those children's learning. They were quite in support of having a cohort entry and as I've said I know this because I was part of that group and was totally impressed with those wonderful women—and they were all women—who were a mixture of incredible academics but were also professionals from the sector. They very strongly asserted that it was not a good idea to have children starting before the age of five. Now I also happen to know that when the then Government introduced cohort entry and suggested that children could start in those few weeks before they turned five the AGEL group actually sent a letter to the then Government strongly opposing such a move and actually included their research etc.—their evidence-based research. So to say that it is an ideological approach that this Government is taking is quite wrong because this is based on evidence—the evidence and the research that was there. We've heard here this evening our New Zealand First colleague the Hon Tracey Martin being quoted so I thought that I too would quote her from her speech last night where she said that we're not trying to undo everything from the previous Government. In fact cohort entry is something that we continue to agree with like many of our schools. She said that we're not trying to undo everything; just the stupid things and that's exactly what we're trying to do here. This policy is not based on evidence and therefore we're actually trying to put the evidence into place. We've also heard here this evening that we're getting lots of emails and texts from different teachers but I get lots of principals—lots of principals—who contact me and they're—Dr Duncan Webb: You've got great principles. JAN TINETTI: That's right. I happen to know quite a few and I happen to know one—who does happen to be a National voter but never mind—who texted me very recently saying When is this cohort entry policy changing? Because my community have said to me they want cohort entry but they don't want children starting before the age of five." So it is something that is not being asked for widely from the sector. It is something that the sector understands that the evidence around that is that it is detrimental to children's learning and children's development. Therefore I'm delighted that this bill and what we're discussing here tonight is about putting that wrong right again. Thank you Madam Chair."