Hipkins ChrisHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Education): It is very very exciting to take this call on Vote Education and to discuss the very positive and optimistic view of education that this Government has. I am very excited about the fact that we are working hard in this Government to ensure that all young New Zealanders can discover their potential and have it fulfilled through a world-class public education system that is well supported and well resourced to do the job that we expect of it—one where teachers are valued and respected; one where young New Zealanders have their voice heard in the decision-making processes that affect them. And what do we get from the members opposite? The relentless negativity of the Simon Bridges National Party.I made two lists while listening to this debate. I made a list of all the relentless negativity and verbiage that didn't need to be responded to and all of the coherent and well-presented arguments that I should make a genuine attempt to respond to. One of those lists is longer than the other. In fact the second list doesn't have anything on it because the members opposite haven't raised one single coherent argument that deserves to be responded to. Not one new idea has been presented by the Opposition who are 100 percent focused on the rear-view mirror. But I will run through a few points that were made. Parmjeet Parmar was the first member of an Opposition ever to complain that a Minister didn't speak for long enough in their introductory remarks at a select committee. She then went on to complain that the Education Review Office has had their budget decreased by $90000 a year. That's because there was an earthquake and they were given some extra funding to relocate their offices following the earthquake. Unless the Opposition now think we should have earthquakes every year and fund those things every year I'm not quite sure what her argument is there.Nikki Kaye described me as an epic failure" for not getting a large enough share of the Budget pie. I would simply point out that this is the largest increase in Vote Education in over a decade. If that makes me an epic failure I'm not sure what kind of aspersions she is casting upon herself and her other predecessors in the last National Government who all secured smaller increases in education funding than I managed to do in the first Budget. I would point out that it is also the largest increase in early childhood education funding in over a decade. So when Nicola Willis says that we weren't valuing early childhood education enough despite giving them the largest increase in funding that they've had in a decade I think that maybe she should reflect on the track record of the previous National Government who not only didn't increase early childhood funding but cut it. They cut it. And the 100 percent qualified rate for early childhood teachers that we have committed to restoring was cut by the previous Government. On a per child basis funding for early childhood education was cut by the previous National Government and where were these now lions arguing for early childhood education increases in funding when they did that? They were completely invisible.Nicola Willis was right though when she said that the Budget documents reflect this Government's priorities. The two biggest increases in education spending in this year's Budget were early childhood education funding and funding to support children with special needs. And I make no apology for that—the biggest increase in funding for kids with special needs in over a decade. It's time we prioritised those most vulnerable kids in our education system and actually gave them the inclusive education system that they have been promised for a long time but haven't actually had. And I'll tell you what: it's not enough. We've got a lot more to do because for over a decade—for over a decade—the last National Government failed to adequately fund the education system to keep up with population growth to keep up with the increasing number of kids with special needs to keep up with the fact that our education infrastructure is ageing and creaking and needs to be replaced.Nikki Kaye pointed out in her contribution that teachers are striking because we have failed in Budget 2018—the biggest increase in funding. Now let's just point out the obvious factor here. The obvious factor here was that nothing on Budget day changed the predicament of teachers in a negative sense; in fact all of the salaries that teachers are paid now were negotiated under the previous Government. And I'll tell you what: I'm not going to get into the bargaining of that but I would point out that the offer that's on the table now—this is a matter of public record—is significantly higher than what they were offered under the previous Government. We know that we've got a lot more work to do. We've got a big mess to clean up and we are going to do it. We're positive and optimistic about the future of our education system."