9. TE URUROA FLAVELL (Māori Party—Waiariki) Link to this
to the Associate Minister of Education
Ka pēhea te whakatika a te Minita i nga hapa o te pūnaha kāwanatanga e pā ana ki te haurua, neke atu o ngā ākonga Māori i mutu te kura i tērā tau me te kore oti i a rātou tētahi tohu mātauranga o te rēanga tuaono?
[What will he do to address the systemic failure which has resulted in more than half of Māori students leaving school last year without completing a sixth-form qualification?]
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Customs) Link to this
Tino nui rawa atu ngā āhuatanga pai kua puta ki roto i ngā tikanga akoranga Māori. I te tau 2007, ko te wāhanga ō rātou i wehe mai i ngā kura i eke ki te tautama tuarua o National Certificate of Educational Achievement, runga ake rānei, e 44 ō-rau. Kia whakaritea ki te tau 1999, anā, 19.7 ōrau noa iho o rātou i wehe mai i ngā kura, i eke ki tēnā taumata. Ko ēnei pikinga i whakaata i te piriponotanga a te Kāwanatanga ki te whakapai ake i ngā huanga akoranga Māori. He nui rawa atu ngā mahinga kua oti, he nui anō me mahia, ā, kei te mahi tonu mātou. There has been massive improvement in Māori educational achievement. In 2007 the proportion of Māori school-leavers achieving National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2 or above was 44 percent; only 18.7 percent of Māori school-leavers in 1999 achieved an equivalent level. This improvement reflects the Government’s commitment to improving Māori educational outcomes. A lot is being done, there is still more to do, and we are doing it.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
He aha ngā tauira Māori e puta mai ai i te kura he iti ake ngā tohu mātauranga ki ngā tohu o wētahi ake momo iwi?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Why are Māori students leaving school with lower levels of education than students from other ethnic groups?]
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA Link to this
Ahakoa he iti ka haere whakamua . Ko te mea nui mō tēnei kāwanatanga, ka haere tahi mātou ki te hāpai i ngā hua o te mātauranga ki te iwi Māori. Although these are small steps, they are a concerted effort to go forward. The most important thing for this Government is that we take a combined approach to ensure that the benefit and support of educational opportunities extend to Māori. In fact, the statistics show that since 1999 there have been great improvements in terms of Māori staying at school and gaining qualifications while at school.
Louisa WallKia ora koe, Madam Speaker. Tēnā koutou katoa. Ka taea e te Minita te kōrero mō ētahi kaupapa kōkiri e whakatinana ana tēnei Kāwanatanga hei whakapai ake i ngā putanga mā te ranga Māori?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Can the Minister outline some specific initiatives that this Government is implementing to improve Māori educational outcomes?]
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA Link to this
Āe, kei te mahi tonu tēnei kāwanatanga ki te whakapai ake i ngā huanga akoranga mō ngāi Māori tāpiri atu ki te whanaketanga o Ka Hikitia i takoha mai rā e ngā tohunga ako Māori, ngā hapori Māori me te Rārangi Akoranga, Te Marautanga, he marautanga ārahi akoranga i roto takotoranga Māori, te marautanga hou mō Aotearoa, a Schools Plus, e rapu ana ki te whakatika i ngā hapa pūnaha o muri me te whakawhiwhi i tētehi rautaki mō ngā akoranga katoa kia noho mai ki roto i ngā mahi whakangungu akoranga atu hoki, ā, eke noa ki te tau tekau mā waru. This Government continues to work towards improving educational outcomes for Māori, including the development of Ka Hikitia, which was contributed to by Māori educationalists, Māori communities, and the education sector; Te Marautanga, the curriculum to guide education in Māori medium settings; a revised New Zealand curriculum; and Schools Plus, which seeks to address the systemic failures of the past and to provide a strategy for all learners to remain in education and/or training until the age of 18.
Pita ParaoneTēnā koe, Madam Speaker. Tēnā tātou o te Whare. Kei te ’hakaae te Minita mēnā e hiahia ana tātou kia kite i te kōkiritanga o te iwi Māori, nā reira e tika ana nā tātou o tēnei Whare kiatautokongia ngā hōtaka kia noho tonu ngā tauira Māori ki te kura kia whai tohu mātauranga, mēnā, āe me pēhea, mēna kāhore e aha ai? Does the Minister agree that if we wish to see the advancement of Māori, then it is right that this House support programmes to have Māori students remain at school to gain an educational qualification; if he does, how; if not, why?
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA Link to this
Āe, koinā te take ka huri ō mātou hiahia ki ērā o ngā ripoata kua kōrerohia e au. [ Yes, that is the reason why our ambitions refer to other reports that I alluded to previously.] Ko te hiahia kia noho roa ngā tauira ki te kura. Our aim is to ensure that students stay at school for longer. Ko te mea pai ake o te Schools Plus he maha ngā huarahi hei awhi ā tātou nei tauira me ā rātou akoranga ki te kura, ki te whiwhi mahi, aha rānei. The most important aspect of the Schools Plus initiative, for example, is to ensure that there is a range of pathways for young Māori to support their learning and career opportunities, so that they can get a job or pursue higher learning opportunities.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
He aha te take e pēnei ana te kōrero, e toru ō-rau noa iho ngā tauira Pākehā e puta mai ana i te kura, kāore rawa ō rātou tohu mātauranga; otirā, tekau ō-rau ngā tauira Māori e pēnei ana te kore tohu?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Why are only 3 percent of Pākehā leaving school with no formal attainment while 10 percent of Māori are in that same position?]
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA Link to this
E ai ki ngā tatauranga o Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga, ko te mea nunui mai i te tau 1999, ka pai ake ngā āhuatanga ki ō tātou nei tauira Māori. Koinā te mea nunui. I think when people look at the statistics from the Ministry of Education they will certainly see an improvement in educational outcomes for Māori since 1999. They have been attaining higher qualifications. That shows that this Government has done more in our 8 years than the previous National Government did between the years 1990 and 1999.
Hon Dover Samuels Link to this
Pēhea ōna nei whakaaro ki a wai te tino rangatiratanga mō ngā tamariki haere ana ki te kura, ko ngā mātua, ko ngā whānau o ngā tamariki, ko ngā Tari o te Mātauranga, ki te kāwanatanga, ki ētahi atu raini?Does the Minister think that parents and whānau have a responsibility to ensure that their children attend school and complete their education, or should it just be left to the Ministry of Education, to the Government, or to someone else?
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA Link to this
Āe, ko koutou e mōhio ana ki te whāngai pēpi, ki te tiaki ō koutou nei tamariki, koi nā te mea nunui kei waenganui i ia whānau ngā whakautu ki ērā o ngā o ngā toimahatanga ki te taha mātauranga engari, i te mutunga, kei a mātou ki te taha kāwanatanga hei whakatakoto ērā o ngā kaupapa ki te hāpai tēnei āhuatanga me pēwhea e taea e tātou te tautoko ngā hiahia o ō tātou nei tamariki kia eke ai rātou ki ō rātou nei taumata. Yes, I certainly agree, and many members across the House who are parents and who have raised children know that within the family there are many solutions to support the educational aspirations of our young people. On the Government’s part, we are working hard to ensure that there are responses that continue to work to support the educational aspirations of young Māori.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
E mōhio ana ia, tokorua irakati ono ngā tauira Māori e whakatahaina ana mō ia tauira Pākehā; tokowhā e panaia ana mō ia tauira Pākehā; he maha atu ngā tauira Māori e whakatārewatia ana, ā, e pēnei ana ngā rere kētanga i ngā tau; hoi, āwhea ia tahuri ai ki te whakatika i tēnei parekura?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Is he aware that Māori students are stood down at a rate 2.6 times greater than that of their Pākehā peers, are excluded four times more often than Pākehā are, and are still disproportionately represented in suspensionstatistics, and that these differences have remained relatively constant over the years; when will he do anything to address this crisis of endemic proportions?]
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA Link to this
I will respond to that question quite directly, because although the member has raised a number of issues, let us put them into context. Since 1999 this Government has made a number of moves to ensure that the ability to stand down, suspend, and exclude students is limited, and the member will know that. Many initiatives around the country have shown that where we have taken action to limit the ability for schools to suspend, exclude, and stand down students, the outcomes have been tremendous. More to the point, since 1999 we have seen an improvement in the numbers of Māori staying at school for longer and gaining more qualifications. This Government has not stopped its programme of work; Schools Plus will work hard to ensure that many more of the students whom that member talks about can continue to be engaged in further education, training, or upskilling.