1. Hon TAU HENARE (National) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
Does he stand by his pre-election statement that “86,000 children will definitely get 20 free hours under Labour”?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Education) Link to this
I stand by my statement, made prior to the election, that “86,000 children will be worse off” under National’s plan to axe the policy of 20 free hours and replace it with a complicated rebate system that offers nothing to low-income families. In contrast, based on current enrolments of 3 to 4-year-olds at early childhood centres, Labour’s policy of 20 free hours will definitely be available for up to 92,000 children. We would expect that figure to increase over time, as the number of qualified teachers increases, more parents take up the option of 20 free hours, and Labour’s investment continues in this very, very popular policy.
Why did the Government promise at the last election that 86,000 children would get 20 hours of free childcare, when in Auckland and Wellington over 70 percent of providers will not be able to offer it, and nationwide as many as 40 percent will not be able to offer it?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
What the Government said at the last election was that up to 92,000 young people would be eligible for the policy of 20 free hours, and that the numbers would increase as the resources for this policy increased. But where the member gets his figures from, I cannot imagine, because the consultation finished only last week.
Sue MoroneyWhat is the Labour-led Government doing to put quality early childhood education within the reach of all New Zealand families?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
To use an overused word, heaps. Early childhood education is clearly one of the major success stories under Labour. This year we will invest more than $750 million in this area, including more than $128 million to implement our policy of 20 hours of free early childhood education. As a result of our investments, around 94 percent of all New Zealand children now take part in early childhood education. The number of qualified teachers has increased by 50 percent, and funding has doubled since 1999.
Hon Brian Donnelly Link to this
How will a national average subsidy across the whole country accommodate cost differentials such as property costs, staff salaries, staff qualifications, student-teacher ratios, etc; if those differentials are not accommodated, will that mean that many providers will have to reject the 20 free hours’ offer?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
They may not, and of course one of the things in the policy design has been to work out what the rate of subsidy should be and how it will address different regional variances in terms of costs. That is what people are out talking about now. The policy has been consulted on throughout the country over the last week, and we hope to set that subsidy rate prior to Christmas, or soon after.
How many children will be excluded from the promised 20 free hours, and when does he plan to tell the parents of those children that the children have been excluded and actually have no entitlement to the 20 free hours, because it is not compulsory for every early childhood centre in the country to provide it?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
The policy has been non-compulsory since it was first announced, so that is no surprise to anybody. No one is excluded from the policy. It will depend, of course, on how rapidly we can build up this policy to ensure that it is available to communities throughout the country.
Does the Minister believe he was premature with the announcement of 20 free hours for all 3 and 4-year-olds, and would it not have been better to do the sums and work out the detail, before announcing the slogan?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I have seen a report of a policy that would include scrapping Labour’s promise of 20 free hours; providing assistance for working families only, through a complicated tax rebate system—the more one earns, the more help one gets—not providing any help at all to low-income families; and leaving behind the children of beneficiaries. That is a summary of the National Party’s policy.
How will the Government deal with providers who decide they are able to offer, say, only 6 free hours instead of 20, and how does that sit with the Minister’s promise of 20 free hours for up to 86,000 children?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I am not sure what the hypothetical case is that the member is raising about someone offering only 6 hours and not 20. What we are offering here is basically a subsidy for 20 free hours. The rate is the crucial issue as to whether people will take it up. As I say, we will announce it either this side of, or shortly after, Christmas. As I have already said, one of the components of this policy will be to make sure we have good teachers and centres around the country. Given our track record so far, it is no wonder that everybody believes us and not the National Party.
Will he reassure parents that their children will be able to access their 20 free hours, or is this just another cruel hoax being perpetrated on the young people of this country?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I thank the member for his very strong endorsement of the policy on 20 free hours, given the advocacy through his questions today. It is good to see that the National Party is now adopting this Government policy, as well as others. Will I reassure parents? Yes, I will.