Turei Metiria: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Turei Metiria: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:606;Page:3299] 
METIRIA TUREI (Green) 
: 
 Kia ora koutou katoa. I want to mention first the three little paragraphs on the Treaty of Waitangi in the Prime Minister’s long speech and her unfortunately rather vague reference to treaty education. But as this is the first day back at school for all of us I will be generous. E iti noa ana na te aroha. Her gift is small but I accept that it is given in kindness. The Greens have been asking for this commitment from the Government for some time and are pleased to hear it mentioned finally. But treaty education cannot consist solely of Government agencies on a public relations campaign promoting the Government’s treaty principles. A treaty education campaign must be firmly set in the context of the treaty at the time it was signed with reference to the declaration of independence which confirms the independence of the rangatira and the Maori text Te Tiriti o Waitangi which was signed by the majority of the Maori rangatira at the time and with the political and economic analysis that recognises that iwi and hapu had long-established and effective social and political institutions. Anything less than that is simply an exercise in sensitive integration. 
This treaty education process cannot be Crown controlled nor Crown defined if it is to be effective broad-based and durable. The Greens have long been saying that the first step is to resource the training of Maori and Pakeha treaty educators. There are just not enough skilled educators to do this work effectively. The Government needs to be responsive to the developing federation of treaty educators—an existing network of Maori and Pakeha educators already committed to working in their communities and who have the expertise and the skills to communicate the complexity of the issues to diverse communities with diverse concerns.  
But perhaps I might kindly suggest that the Labour Government begins with its own caucus. The honourable Mr Carter’s belief that seeing Maori sports stars on the telly is the treaty partnership in action clearly is in desperate need of some treaty-based deconstruction.  
The Prime Minister also mentioned education in her speech and waxed lyrical about how our young ones are our future how they are to have their education needs met and should be able to fulfil their potential. Well only if they can pay for it! “Sorry Johnny front up with the fee mate or you’re out on your ear—no matter the year’s work you have invested and no matter that you have virtually no job prospects without your qualifications: if you do not have the cash tough titty!” It seems that under this Government young people can fulfil their potential as human beings only if they can afford it.  
But of course it is worse because not only is our own Ministry of Education undermining our children and our families but the Government has opened our education system to the whole world for exploitation. I refer specifically to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The Government recently and belatedly released its discussion document on the next round of GATS talks with the public having only little more than 2 weeks to make submissions. The document itself provides virtually no information on anything and actually is a wicked cut and paste job.  
The goal of GATS is to remove all restrictions on international trade in services including education. GATS treats education purely as a commodity not as the Prime Minister has said as having an intrinsic value not for the purpose of building a tolerant knowledgable and outward-looking nation but as a tradable commercial money-making commodity. Even the investment bankers Merrill Lynch have predicted that through commercial pressures and GATS all education worldwide will be privatised over the next 10 years.  
Do not be fooled by the Government’s response that Government services are excluded from GATS because they are not. Government-provided services that are supplied on a commercial basis or in competition with another service are not protected. This Government subsidises private schools. How can this not be provided on a commercial basis? How can we possibly say that our public schools are not in competition with private schools? It is devious to suggest so to the New Zealand public.  
The Greens completely oppose GATS and are only too aware that the inclusion of public services in GATS will lead to their increased privatisation. Through GATS this Government is leading us not to more opportunity security and a better quality of life but towards the destruction of our remaining fragile sovereignty.