Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:608;Page:5180] 
9.  
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Is he satisfied with the performance of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 Most of the time. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: With a remark that is a contemptuous answer to this House can I just say this— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member should just ask the question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: If the Minister wants to make a joke of it then I think that is totally unsatisfactory and my question is this— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Please be seated. The Minister addressed the question. The member has plenty of opportunity during supplementary questions to address the answer. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How can the Minister be satisfied most of the time when there is yet another example of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and the Fernridge Institute of Training in Masterton having never been quality-audited in its 3 years’ existence despite ongoing concerns expressed to that authority by local residents and former students alike and advice to the Minister of Education and the Minister of Immigration of an institute that is running a sham establishment founded to ensure that the owners of the company have a steady source of cheap labour in this country? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: That institution was registered on 16 August 2000. It was in fact audited on 15 and 16 August 2002. It was put on a 1-year audit cycle. It is due to be audited again in May this year. Although I understand that Mr Peters has received a complaint about the organisation he has not passed it on to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. 
Bernie Ogilvy 
: In terms of funding for the New Zealand Qualifications Authority’s role of implementing the National Certificate of Educational Achievement does the Minister agree with the finding of the select committee inquiry that the agencies involved appear to have continually underestimated the level of resourcing required for such a major shift in our senior school assessment and qualifications system; if not why not? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I refer the member to the Government response to the select committee’s report. I am happy to brief the member—as I would have yesterday at our meeting—on the Government’s actual response to that which I am announcing on Friday. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I seek leave to table evidence from the approvals and accreditation audit of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority which states that to date no audit has been completed on this organisation. That makes a total lie of the Minister’s statements. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will stand withdraw and apologise for that comment. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I withdraw and apologise. I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is a disgusting situation. Firstly the Minister has just told this House today that audits have been done and I am holding a letter dated 26 March saying that no audit has been done. Secondly I raised the issue in the House with the Minister of Immigration. Thirdly the New Zealand Qualifications Authority has received complaints. That is three lots of complaints already made that are in his colleague’s hands and his department’s hands in terms of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Yet he gets up and makes those bald statements that are totally incorrect and you rule me out of order. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I am quite prepared to table my advice on this issue advice received at 1.41 p.m. today which indicates the date of the audits and the fact that no complaint about Fernridge has been received by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The authority does act on its complaints. The fact that the member has received a complaint does not necessarily mean that it has been received by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: First of all the member asked for leave to table a document. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I want to explain what it is. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member has explained what it is and the member seeks leave to table it. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister also sought leave to table his particular document. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That Minister has just told this House that the New Zealand Qualifications Authority had not received a complaint. What on earth is this document in reply from the authority about if it is not answering complaints? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: This is just debating material. We have a general debate coming up. 
Dail Jones 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister sought leave to table a document. I would ask that he table the whole document not the half that he has just cut off. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I sought leave to table a document as it came from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority not my handwritten notes on the bottom. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave was sought to table that and nobody objected.