4. ALLAN PEACHEY (National—Tāmaki) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
What recent announcements has the Government made about sport in schools?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
Last week the Prime Minister, John Key, announced Kiwisport, a new initiative that sees $82 million invested in young Kiwis over the next 4 years. Kiwisport will provide $45 million in direct funding to schools over the next 4 years—
Hon David CunliffeThe member does not like it, does he! A further $37 million is going to a regional partnership fund—
Mr SPEAKERI apologise to the Minister. I say to members opposite that the Minister is right beside me yet I cannot hear her answer. I am sure that the House, the question having been asked, is interested in hearing the answer. I invite the Minister to go back to the start of her answer.
Last week the Prime Minister, John Key, announced Kiwisport, a new initiative that sees $82 million invested in young Kiwis over the next 4 years. Kiwisport will provide $45 million in direct funding to schools over the next 4 years, with a further $37 million to go to a regional partnership fund for initiatives involving clubs, schools, and community groups, to support sport for school-age children.
I have seen the reported comments of the College Sport chief executive, who welcomed the announcement, and said that Kiwisport would give secondary schools much more flexibility in how they use their money. I have also seen a rather misguided report from Labour MP Chris Hipkins, who said: “They’ve slashed funding for things like … Stage Challenge …”. If he had done a little bit of homework, he would have found that the funding for Stage Challenge does continue.
Chris HipkinsMembers should listen. A bit of noise in the House is perfectly acceptable, but I ask members to show some courtesy to a member who has done nothing other than seek to ask a supplementary question, and does not deserve that kind of reaction. I ask the backbenchers to show a little courtesy. Chris Hipkins.
I meant what I said, I say to some of the members at the back of the Chamber. I do not expect to be laughed at like that.
Why does the Minister believe that the health and well-being of Kiwi kids will be better served by her allocating the limited amount of funding available on a population basis, rather than targeting funding based on need, particularly given that these changes are likely to take funding away from some of the poorest schools, including those in South Auckland, where the Prime Minister went to launch the initiative; or is this another example of John Key’s “Sheriff of Nottingham” approach of robbing from the poor to give to the rich?
I suggest that the member does a little bit of maths. Under the previous Labour Government, $5.3 million was allocated to schools to fund sports coordinators—all of it to secondary schools, and not even all secondary schools. Under KiwiSport, a total of $20 million per year will be available to encourage Kiwi kids to play sport, and $20 million is a lot more than $5.3 million.
Is the Minister concerned that focusing funding exclusively on sport while cancelling funding for other forms of physical activity, such as Stage Challenge, kapahaka, ASB Polyfest, and the Pasifika Festival, which the Minister for Sport and Recreation has indicated will have fund cuts, and cancelling funding for nutritional programmes that get kids eating healthier food, could actually mean more health problems for Kiwi kids; if not, why not?