Roy Heather: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Roy Heather: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:673;Page:19233] 
5. 
Hon HEATHER ROY (ACT) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Why has the Government budgeted an additional $550.3 million for early childhood education over the next 4 years? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) 
: 
 Because the Government believes that early childhood education is a good investment for our young New Zealanders. 
Hon Heather Roy 
: Does she stand by her Budget day statement that early childhood education funding would focus on “increasing participation for Maori Pasifika and children from low-income families”; if so what is her best estimate of likely increases in participation rates for these groups from the extra half a billion dollars in funding? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: Yes. 
Hon Heather Roy 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question required much more than a yes or no answer I would have thought. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: In fairness the member asked whether the Minister could confirm if I recollect correctly that money was being allocated to certain groups and then the member went on to ask if that was so how many children would benefit from it. The Minister as she is entitled to do answered the first part of the question. She said yes that the funding was being targeted to those groups. The member has further supplementary questions should she wish to use them. 
Sue Moroney 
: How does her Government’s funding of early childhood education compare with the 1 percent of GDP spent on average by other OECD countries and recommended by UNICEF? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: This Budget 2011 provides an 11.5 percent increase in early childhood education spending from Budget 2010 even in the depths of a severe economic recession. I think that is an outstanding record from this Government. 
Sue Moroney 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was quite specific. It was about the percentage of GDP spent on early childhood education. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I will allow the member to repeat her question just to be certain because I did not hear it clearly. 
Sue Moroney 
: How does her Government’s funding of early childhood education compare with the 1 percent of GDP spent on average by other OECD countries and recommended by UNICEF? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: If the member had put that question on notice I could have found the percentage for New Zealand. However I repeat that Budget 2011 provided an 11.5 percent increase over Budget 2010 even in the depths of an economic recession. I think that is an outstanding record. 
Sue Moroney 
: Why will early childhood education services that were paid $13.35 per hour per child under 2 years of age prior to her Government’s funding cuts on 1 February this year now receive only $11.93 per hour per child after her funding increase on 1 July which is a funding reduction of $1.42 per hour per child? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: That member continues to misrepresent that this Government has cut early childhood education spending. In fact this Government has continued to increase early childhood education spending. However we did remove the incentive for centres to move from 80 to 100 percent qualified teachers in teacher-led services and that has made a difference to the funding rates for some centres. That is because this Government has a goal of 80 percent qualified teachers in teacher-led services and we are on track to achieve that across all services next year. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Does her Government spend more per child in early childhood education or on children in their first year at primary school? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: Yes the average is higher—$7600 I believe is spent per child in early childhood education and $5500 on a child in primary school education. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Just in case I did not make it clear is this the first year at school? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Were the figures that she just used the figures for the first year at school? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The question was about early childhood education. The Minister may not have that information. 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: Yes I do not have that information. The average spent for a primary school student is less than the average spent on early childhood education. 
Sue Moroney 
: I seek leave to table the funding rates for early childhood education to 1 February 2011. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: What is the source of that information? 
Sue Moroney 
: It is from the Ministry of Education. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Sue Moroney 
: I seek leave to table a document from the website of the Ministry of Education showing the funding rates for 2011 and the funding reduction for services down to $11.93 per child per hour. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document from the Ministry of Education website. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Hon Heather Roy 
: Can the Minister explain to the House how she can justify her claim that her 20 free hours policy is caring when low-income earners are often taxed at a marginal tax rate of between 53c to 102c in the dollar to subsidise the early childhood education of the children of high-income earners? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: This Government does not have any policy of 20 free hours. In fact we came to Government and changed the name from 20 free hours to 20 hours early childhood education because the previous Government had made it so that it was not free. 
Hon Sir Roger Douglas 
: Could the Minister confirm that her policy on 20 free hours is yet another example of the Government’s extremist policies which force low-income families to pay high rates of personal tax in order to subsidise asset-rich and high-income families? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I repeat that this Government has no policy of 20 free hours.