Key John: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Key John: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:637;Page:7874] 
3.  
JOHN KEY (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she stand by her statement that “20 hours’ free education a week will be able to be provided for 3 and 4-year-olds at any licensed teacher-led service in New Zealand from July 2007”; if so how many services does she expect to actually offer the 20 hours free? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes. Labour’s 20 hours’ free education policy will be available to all teacher-led early childhood education centres from 1 July and the Government is optimistic about the take-up. 
John Key 
: Can the Prime Minister assure the House that come 1 July there will be enough services signed up to the 20 hours’ free education policy to make good Trevor Mallard’s election promise that 92000 children will get it; if not why not? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I refer the member back to the statement in his original question. This 20 hours’ free education will be able to be provided. The providers are now working through the implications for them and we are optimistic about uptake. 
John Key 
: How can she be confident that enough suppliers will actually provide this service when last week the Auckland Kindergarten Association—representing 10 percent of all eligible 3 and 4-year-olds—stated that it could not afford to run the 20 free hours over 60 percent of community-run nationwide services are stating that they cannot afford it and the kindergarten association is running a not-for-profit service? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I do not accept the member’s figures but what I would say is that I find it curious that the National Party which opposes the policy seems to want to throw infinite amounts of taxpayers’ money at it. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: In the light of that last answer does the Prime Minister believe that the noise around this issue is coming more from those who oppose the objectives of the policy or more from those who simply think the rate of payment should be higher? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: In the early childhood sector it is hard to find anybody who opposes the objectives of the policy. The only outfit I can find that opposes 3 and 4-year-olds having 20 hours’ free education is the National Party. 
John Key 
: Does the Prime Minister agree that her Government promised New Zealanders 20 free hours of early childhood education for 3 and 4-year-olds yet the vast majority of New Zealanders will not be able to access that because the scheme has been so badly designed that suppliers will not sign up and how can that be interpreted by New Zealand parents who relied on her promise to be her keeping her word? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: All I can say is that it will be a substantial disappointment to the member as so many centres come into the policy. 
John Key 
: Does the Prime Minister think she is misleading Kiwi mums and dads when they go to the Government website advertising the policy of 20 free hours and find listed as a provider Auckland Kindergarten Association which last week said it would not be opting in? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Of course it did not say that at all. 
John Key 
: Does the Prime Minister agree with Steve Maharey that the conditions attached to the 20 free hours in terms of the hourly rate and the inability for a co-subsidy will not change? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: It is most unlikely because they are based on a survey of the sector as of last year.