10. Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
What decisions has she made on operational funding in the education sector?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
The primary decision I have made on schools’ operational funding was to provide an additional $80.1 million over 4 years into schools’ operations grants in Budget 2009. I have also directed the ministry to stop wasting taxpayers’ money on costly and ineffective projects like Mission-On, so that we can get more money out to the front line.
Sue MoroneyDoes she stand by her July 2008 promise regarding early childhood education that: “We will retain all existing subsidies and fee controls”, and will she repeat that promise now?
I am not aware of where that quote comes from. I do not have it in front of me. I am not aware of the context in which that quote was given. But I can say that early childhood education funding has grown by almost three times over the last 5 years, and we are having a close look at the cost drivers behind that growth, which is not necessarily producing quality early childhood education.
Will she then guarantee that parents of children under the age of 2 will continue to receive the existing childcare subsidy?
Can she reassure parents that they will not face cost increases for early childhood education after the Budget, given that the Prime Minister failed to give that commitment yesterday?
I seek leave to table the document containing the quote from the Minister that I used in my first supplementary question. It was from her policy statement as National’s spokesperson on education.
Mr SPEAKERHon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Does she fully understand her operational funding decisions that led to her agreement to signing off the approval of seven new wharekura?
Yes. I fully understand that those seven kura had waited throughout all the years of the previous Government to have their change of class approved. Within 18 months, with the help of the Māori Party and the Associate Minister of Education Dr Pita Sharples, those kura have now had their change of class approved. They have had interim funding in place from the beginning of this year, and they are actively working with the Government to design a new funding regime.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Does the funding of $2,000 per pupil for those new wharekura include the Māori language programme funding?
The interim resourcing package made available to those wharekura from the beginning of this year includes the staffing entitlement, the per pupil operational funding—and if that covers the programme, then that is funded—a base funding, as I have said, of $50,000 plus $2,000 per student, and the property resourcing.
Colin KingI was delighted to receive a letter from a principal that said: “The funding for schools has never been better, the staff at our local Ministry of Education are fabulous, and as far as I’m concerned, schools are in a great place. That is what we are here for, and we are paid jolly well to do it, too.”
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
How can the Minister justify signing off on a kura in Northland on the basis of it getting operational funding of $206,000 per year, instead of the $374,000 that it would have received if it was an English medium school?
This has been a pragmatic interim solution, to allow teaching and learning to continue while longer-term policy is developed. The schools concerned have been fully consulted, and they are very happy with the resourcing that they are receiving. As I said earlier, one of the schools has even emailed the Associate Minister of Education to say that awesome things are happening. Those schools had been waiting and waiting for the previous Government to do something, and it did nothing.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Can the Minister guarantee that her cuts to the wharekura funding formula will not be extended to other area schools?
I repeat my answer from earlier: we cannot cut something that was not there in the first place. Those wharekura received no funding for their secondary school students, because the previous administration would not deal with the very unusual situation that they presented. This Government has provided funding on an interim basis, and is working with the wharekura to develop an ongoing policy around their funding.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question was very deliberately very short, and very to the point. It referred to the wharekura funding formula, not to the money that went to those schools. That formula has been changed, and that is what the question was about. Can I repeat the question, so that the Minister can understand it?
Quite clearly, that member asked about the cuts to the wharekura funding. Those wharekura had had no funding. They were not wharekura at all; they were kura.
We will not litigate this matter. I hear what the Minister is saying. In fact, if I recollect the member’s question correctly, it asked whether the cuts to the wharekura funding would be extended to other schools. Is the member disputing that?
There is confusion over the question. I am not being critical of the Minister’s answer in allowing the member to ask the question again, but we need to get it clarified.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Can she guarantee that her cuts to the wharekura funding formula will not be extended to other area schools?
I will not ask the Minister to answer that, because the member has confirmed that he did include that language in his question—the “cuts to the … formula”. The Minister disputed that part of the question, and the Minister is entitled to do that. I had thought that the member might ask whether the formula for these wharekura schools would be extended to other area schools, but he used the word “cuts”, which the Minister disputed. That was a perfectly fair answer to the question.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I know that you have, and I suppose I am disputing your ruling, but this is very important. It is the funding formula that has been cut, and I asked whether that cut to that formula, which was previously the one for area schools, would be extended to other area schools. I think that is a perfectly reasonable question.
From listening to the Minister’s answers members would have heard her argue that this is a new interim formula, and therefore she argued that because it is a new formula, it cannot be suggested in a question that it is a cut to an existing formula. I think, in fairness to the Minister, that she answered that question perfectly fairly. If the member had had different wording in his question, then I think we would have had to hear a somewhat different answer. But he included the words “cuts to the … formula”, and the Minster has pointed out to the House that it is a new interim formula.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. When there is one formula that applies to wharekura, and then another formula is put in that is less than the previous one, most of us would think that that was a cut.