Martin Tracey: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMartin Tracey: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 05 December 2013. Volume:695;Page:15286. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]2.TRACEY MARTIN (NZ First) to theMinister of Education: Does she stand by her statement “We know that great teaching and learning goes on in our schools but having modern learning environments just makes the whole process of raising achievement for all our young people that much easier”?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Yes and that is why this Government is investing over $300 million to support specific schools with major developments; nearly $700 million on the roll-out of a managed network through Network for Learning which is the schools network upgrade; the roll-out of ultra-fastbroadband; and over $1 billion to rebuild the education network in Christchurch. There is much to do because the neglect we found the education system in when we came into office was substantial but we are making progress.Tracey Martin: Does she stand by her statement from 14 November 2013: “Raising student achievement and assuring that all young people can access high quality teaching in modern educational environments is one of the Government’s main priorities.”?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Yes and that is why we are spending $300 million over 6 years to better support 21st century learning environments and improved outcomes for all children. There are 18 new schools to be constructed and 400 new school buildings. In Christchurch $1.137 billion over 10 years is being spent to restore and renew schools. We are building 1200 new classrooms and repairing a further 1200 classrooms. Eighty percent of classrooms are to be modern learning environments. We are spending $211 million for a managed network in schools with 21 schools to be connected before the end of the year. Seven hundred schools are to be connected to the managed network in 2014. More than $200 million will be spent connecting schools to ultra-fast broadband. We have spent $157 million to date on school network upgrades. A further $136 million—Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Hon HEKIA PARATA: —over the next—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I can anticipate the point of order.Hon David Parker: Well no I would like to make my point of order.Mr SPEAKER: OK the member can make his point of order.Hon David Parker: The last two answers that we have had from this Minister and prior to that from the Prime Minister were speeches not answers to questions.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am conscious of the point of order the member is raising. I think it is a valid point. Ministers are required to keep their answers to the questions relatively brief.Tracey Martin: Is the Minister aware thatTeKuraHouruakiWhangaruru a charter school being set up by theNgāParirauMātauranga Charitable Trust has received over $1.6 million from the Government which it has spent on 81 hectares of farmland in Northland and it now finds itself without enough funds to build the school itself so it is looking at placing portable accommodation andPortaloos in a paddock and would she consider this to be a modern learning environment?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Could the member tell me again what the name of that school is so that I know which one she is talking about?Mr SPEAKER: Would the member please assist the Minister by just naming that school again?Tracey Martin:TeKuraHouruakiWhangaruru.Hon HEKIA PARATA: Thank you Mr Speaker. No I am not aware that that is what has occurred in terms of those details. I would have to check that with the Ministry of Education.Tracey Martin: Can the Minister confirm that the agreement between herself as the Minister and the sponsor shows that the nearly 100 hectares of farmland purchased with taxpayers’ money now belongs to the trust regardless of whether they build a school or not?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I do not have that detail to hand. I would be very happy however to answer those questions and deal with the member on every one of those details.Tracey Martin: Should the trust not build the charter school it claims it would will she as the Minister take steps to recover the $1.6 million of taxpayer education money it has received; if not why not?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Although I do not have the particular details to hand of that particular contract what I can tell the member and assure the House of is that there are significant performance and accountability requirements of each and every one of the five partnership schools. All of that detail is up on the website and available to anyone who wishes to look at them. In terms of the specific assertions that the member is making about one particular school I am happy to get the detail of that and work with the member.Tracey Martin: Is the Minister able to confirm with her knowledge of the contracts to date whether there are any clauses inside of any of the partnership school contracts whereby should the schools close the assets purchased with taxpayer dollars can be claimed back by the State?Hon HEKIA PARATA: It is my expectation that school properties that are to be disposed of will follow the Public Works Act. That is the usual practice.Tracey Martin: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am sorry but I did not ask about the Public Works Act or schools in the disposal. Charter schools and partnership schools do not enter that area. I asked whether—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order!Tracey Martin: —there was a clause inside the contracts—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am sorry but I am going to have to ask the member to start again. I am getting so many interruptions from my left-hand side.Tracey Martin: The question was whether the Minister is able to tell the House whether inside the partnership schools contracts—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I think that the quickest way forward is to actually allow the member to repeat the question. Thank you.Tracey Martin: I will try to bring it back. So is the Minister able to tell the House whether inside the partnership schools contracts she has knowledge of there is any clause that allows the State—the ministry—to take back the assets purchased by those partnership schools should they close or fold for any reason?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I do not have that detail to hand and I am happy to work with the member.