Patterson MarkMARK PATTERSON (NZ First): It's a great pleasure to rise and to speak in endorsement and support of the Education (National Education and Learning Priorities) Amendment Bill on behalf of this coalition Government. I would like to just start by endorsing some of the comments that were made earlier by some of the previous speakers on the momentous occasion that we do have today on the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage. It is momentous that this country has led the world in this and it's something we should and do take great pride in and we see it actually here every day in this Parliament with the fabulous women parliamentarians on both sides of the House contributing strongly.Of course one of the other things that New Zealand takes great pride in is leading the world in education and as Jamie Strange pointed out in his fine contribution earlier New Zealand has been seen as an exemplar in some of the curricula changes it made early this century. So we need to keep developing that and that's why this Government has an ambitious plan in front of us in education reforms—several bills—and this bill has to been seen as part of a wider suite of changes. I would like to commend the Education and Workforce Committee. We have a really strong select committee particularly on our side of the House. It's a little bit of a dream team actually. I would commend the member bringing the bill forward here Jan Tinetti. She has an incredible background in education as a principal of a decile 1 school and she is shepherding this bill through and she is also a strong contributor. Jamie Strange is a schoolteacher and music teacher. Jo Luxton from the early childhood sector—DEPUTY SPEAKER: We've now had two minutes. I'd really like you to come to the bill rather than go through the caucus.MARK PATTERSON: Well I'm just trying to emphasise the depth of experience that's brought into bringing this bill forward.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'd quite like you to emphasise the bill.MARK PATTERSON: The Opposition on this bill are a little bit deluded and ideological and we do have a rather eclectic chairwoman as well in Dr Parmar.DEPUTY SPEAKER: It is actually quite a simple bill. It should be easy to speak to.MARK PATTERSON: But we are here to talk about the Education (National Education and Learning Priorities) Amendment Bill or the NELP bill which commits the Minister of Education to consult more widely with all stakeholders. The present very narrow definition in the current legislation allows for hand-picked—maybe friendly—voices to be heard. This bill makes it much broader and there is a far broader list of stakeholders that we have to consult. Children—imagine that children—who are the people that this most affects. Parents teachers principals early childhood disabilities support staff—Hon Members: Ha ha!MARK PATTERSON: —you may laugh over that side but these are very important contributors to this sector—Māori Pasifika State and State integrated schools and special character schools. The 20 submitters were broadly supportive of this bill. The most prominent that has been mentioned is the Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft and he made this comment: Hearing … and incorporating the views of children and young people deliver better and more robust decisions."—it could not be clearer than that from such a highly respected and experienced advocate for children. We also heard from the speech and language therapist Dr Hennig and she said that "family and child voices are essential for developing effective … policy and law". The NZEI: "We welcome this because it gives students [a] voice and agency in the process and recognises the critical contribution the knowledge and expertise of the teaching profession [and] will make … the priority-setting process [more robust]." So why did we have to do this? Well we've got to step back and take a look at the bigger picture because what actually has been happening if we look at the international comparisons of New Zealand education—and remember what I said at the start: we pride ourselves in leading the world. We should do; we should accept nothing less. But in our Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings by world standards—the gold standard in how we measure our education system—we have been slipping. So we need to bring a suite of reforms forward and this consultation process that we are bringing here in the NELP bill absolutely fits that criterion. It is part of our wider 30-year strategic overhaul of the education system and it does address those who are falling behind: Māori Pasifika boys—I know. I was on the board of the Lawrence Area School and one the things that we had as a priority in our area school was boys. Boys were slipping behind in their education priorities. On women's Suffrage Day we also need to consider the males in our society and the boys coming through who often go on to become slightly dysfunctional if they fall through the cracks and can cause wider difficulties in our society. There are also rural things like connectivity—all that sort of thing that we need to be able to take into account. The area school as I say that I represent and those that are in our community of learning—there were many challenges that were specific to rural areas and we will have to be consulted under the terms of this bill. So New Zealand First absolutely endorses this bill. We will do what we can to help progress the other reforms that are coming forward as part of this package. It is a priority for us and we are very proud of course of the Hon Tracey Martin and the contribution that she's making in this area. We also congratulate Minister Hipkins on the arrival of his new child. That is a momentous day for him of course.So in conclusion we are focused on the wider picture but this is an important component of this—the National Education and Learning Priorities programme. So teachers will have a voice and principals will have a greater voice. Of course this goes on the back of the Education (Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand) Amendment Act that we brought forward last night—the great Act in which we allowed teachers to have a voice on their own professional council. Now we are giving them a voice in terms of the curricula and making it so that we need to consult them under this NELP bill.We also have to be more future-focused and I think with the wider consultation that we will be doing under this NELP bill that that will make it a more rigorous and robust process which will give us better outcomes and bring us back up through those international rankings where we should be—those PISA rankings where we are slipping behind. This will be a key component of that. We have to take all stakeholders with us. National standards were failing us on an international scale. That was becoming very apparent. So with that I will commend this bill in the second reading to the House. I will—Hon Members: One minute.MARK PATTERSON: Ha ha! Well the crowd do want more and I know why they do because there is such a lot of soundness wisdom and it is a popular measure. It is disappointing that the Opposition have not seen fit to get in behind our teachers and our educators in supporting this. It is very petty—very petty—and actually shameful that you have not got on board and supported a sensible group of measures to improve the well-being of our young people improve our education system and therefore improve our society. I know that this is not a committee of the whole House stage so I cannot get up and continue after the bell so I will have to truncate my contribution. With that I will commend this bill in its second reading to the House. [Interruption]DEPUTY SPEAKER: OK. Let's just settle down OK. I know it is members' day but let's just settle down."