Turei Metiria: Education (Establishment of Universities of Technology) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Turei Metiria: Education (Establishment of Universities of Technology) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:641;Page:11640] 
METIRIA TUREI (Green) 
: 
 I will take just a short call on the Education (Establishment of Universities of Technology) Amendment Bill to say the Green Party is very pleased to be supporting it going to the select committee. 
We really appreciated the Hon Brian Donnelly’s clear discussion about the history of the tertiary sector in his speech on this bill. It is very useful to understand the history of the tertiary sector and how it came about in the way it did in order to look at ways of reforming it—and reforming it in quite serious ways as this bill suggests we might. 
The Greens recognise that the sector itself has real issues with this bill and we are looking forward to hearing those issues come through at the select committee. Some institutions have worked very hard to achieve their status under the current regime and they would understandably feel somewhat aggrieved that we will provide an alternative mechanism for other institutions to achieve the same status in a slightly easier way. The fact is that if reform is needed we do need to look at it seriously. We will listen to the submissions from the tertiary sector so we can understand those concerns better and see whether we can find the best possible way of dealing with those concerns. 
We value the concept of an institution that elevates the trades and vocational education and bridges the gap between the practical needs of a trade or a vocation and the opportunity for research and advanced skills in the area. I think Mr Donnelly is quite right when he says that the needs in the trades and vocations area have become increasingly complex over time and require a higher level of educational engagement. That is perfectly reasonable. Technological changes and the developing needs of society are driving that change so we need to have a tertiary sector that can readily meet those opportunities. This is especially so when we consider the nature of the global environment and the changes in it the increasing understanding of peak oil and the need for energy alternatives the impacts of climate change on all aspects of our society and the need to be really prepared for the changes that are inevitably coming. 
One obvious area where this is so is the building trade; it is the most obvious and it is probably the most common. The very interesting Ministry for the Environment publication called  
Value Case for Sustainable Building in New Zealand 
 states: “Internationally government and other public bodies are increasingly asking for sustainable buildings which are also being widely encouraged and implemented by a responsive property construction sector. This has led to increasingly sophisticated and innovative building designs and technologies that encourage both energy conservation and CO2 reduction.” It goes on to say: “We are in an excellent position”—in this country—“to become leaders in sustainable building.” The same opportunities that are reflected in that comment can be found in the energy sector in transportation in planning and in many other areas that are traditional trades and vocations. But these opportunities can be pursued only if the trade and vocational educational institutions are able to provide a quality bridging opportunity from certificate to postgraduate courses with the full capacity to also engage in high-level research in those areas. It is a perfectly understandable and reasonable extension of this area of the tertiary education sector.  
I also believe that there is considerable advantage to Maori and Pacific Islanders in these kinds of institutions. Maori are still highly overrepresented in the lower levels of certificate and diploma courses. We know that 93 percent of Maori women in tertiary education are studying at that lower certificate level. But we also know that Maori women with postgraduate or higher degrees have the highest median income of all ethnicities. What this means in effect is that Maori women start a long way back when it comes to tertiary education they are doing catch-up from a secondary school system that has failed them but they work their way up systematically through the tertiary sector into the high level of degrees. If they can do it they are very highly sought after in the workforce and the outcomes for them and their whanau are exceptional. So institutions that can provide a seamless educational pathway from the certificate level to postgraduate degrees will provide Maori women and others having to play catch-up with very accessible pathways to a quality education a quality income and positive lifestyle outcomes at the end.  
That is effectively the Green Party position; we do not need to expand on it too much more. As I say the issues are complex; we understand that they are not simple. We will be looking forward to further investigation at the select committee and we congratulate the Hon Brian Donnelly on having this bill brought out of the ballot and debated tonight. Kia ora.