Pettis Jill: Estimates Debate —  
Pettis Jill: Estimates Debate —  
[Volume:610;Page:7248] 
JILL PETTIS (NZ Labour—Whanganui) 
: 
 I am very pleased to join in this debate on Vote Education. As the Minister Steve Maharey has just outlined to the House education is very much what the Labour Government and the Labour Party historically has been about. Many of us in this Government have an education background in a variety of service. I was not a teacher but certainly have worked in the education sector before coming into Parliament. It was in many respects my passionate belief in education for all that drove me towards coming into politics in a more formal sense. 
I am proud of what our Government has done historically and currently is doing for education. One of the reasons we have been successful in that particular policy area is our acknowledgment and practice of the interconnectedness of the compulsory education sector with what happens to people when they go out into the working world. Today Minister Maharey responded to a question about industry training and the fantastic results that are being achieved in this country because this Government works with industry in providing education and training that is responsive to the needs of the modern world. 
Our most recent industry training publication reports a 12 percent increase in trainees to a wonderful figure of nearly 107000. That is commendable and will show tremendous results in the workforce in New Zealand as New Zealand’s productivity and modern workplace delivery continues to occur. That stands in stark contrast to the practices of those parties opposite that will I suspect be on the Opposition benches for many years to come. They certainly do not show any signs of getting their act together with regard to education which is the core a fundamental part of governing any country responsibly and looking towards the future. 
A most alarming comment was recently made by a National Party spokesperson on a range of issues but nothing defined Don Brash with regard to his approach to the treatment of employees when he said that every 2 to 3 years they can get a bit stale and can be replaced. 
Hon Member 
: That’s true. 
JILL PETTIS 
: That is true in respect of some of the members of the main Opposition party—or what was the main Opposition party but does not hold that position any longer at 22 percent and falling. Opposition members’ approach to people is really summed up in that line of Don Brash’s that people in the workplace get a bit stale and can just be replaced. This Labour Party historically and currently does not see people as superfluous or expendable and who can be discarded at the whim of those who may be more powerful. 
Our philosophy has always been to value people to give them the skills to give them the opportunity to be the best they possibly can and by supporting people through to realising their full potential. One of the ways we have seen that evidenced so obviously in our communities particularly our regional communities is the expansion of the Modern Apprenticeships scheme which we continue to receive very positive comments about as we talk to employers in our electorates. That has had tremendous results. A great deal of work has gone into that and the partnership between the Government and industry has produced some superb results. It is wonderful to see young people out there in the workforce delighted about what they are able to achieve to contribute to their own local economy; and the boost to their morale is just tremendous. This is a Government that is serious about education and puts its money where its mouth is.