10. SUE MORONEY (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
What is her proposed timeframe for delivering the Government response to the ECE Taskforce recommendations?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
Consultation on the report’s recommendations closes next week, on Monday, 8 August. The Government will then carefully consider the feedback from consultation before making any decisions.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question was on notice and asked for a time frame for the delivery of the Government’s response. I did not hear an answer to that.
Mr SPEAKERThe dilemma I have is that I do not know—the Minister may have been indicating that actually a time frame has not been fixed yet. I invite the Minister to clarify her answer, with respect, because it is a question on notice.
We are in the middle of consultation. Once the consultation finishes, then, I am saying, the Government will have a look at that consultation, will carefully consider it, and then will make its decisions.
I had figured that, thank you, Mr Speaker. Will she, then, immediately rule out accepting the funding cuts proposed by her task force to Playcentre of up to 70 percent in order to give certainty to the families of the 15,000 children who attend playcentres throughout New Zealand?
The task force was independent from the Government, and, as I said, the Government has not even considered any decisions from its recommendations. However, this Government has made it very clear that it values parent-led services like Playcentre. This Government expanded the 20 hours’ early childhood education services to Playcentre. This Government has made sure that the regulations that guide early childhood services have been amended to lessen the costs and burden on Playcentre. So this Government certainly supports parent-led playcentres.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked a specific question about whether the Minister would rule out accepting the funding cuts proposed by the task force. She gave all sorts of interesting information but did not answer that question.
In fairness, I supported the member to get a further answer from the Minister on the primary question, but the Minister, if I heard correctly, in answer to that supplementary question, said the Government is in the process of considering the task force report. Ministers are perfectly at liberty not to rule out any aspects until they finish considering a report. I think that is what the Minister was indicating to the House. That is not unreasonable.
Will she rule out the funding cuts of up to 80 percent proposed by her task force to home-based early childhood education in order to give certainty to the families of the 17,000 children who attend home-based early childhood education throughout New Zealand, and also the funding cuts of up to 78 percent for the 9,000 children and their families who attend kōhanga reo?
I repeat: the Government has made no decisions about the task force recommendations. It is currently out for consultation with the sector, and we will listen to what the sector has to say about the very thorough report from the Taskforce on Early Childhood Education.
Will she commit, then, to keeping the same subsidies and fee controls in place for 20 hours’ early childhood education in order to give certainty to the families of 140,000 children who attend centre-based early childhood education services, given that her Taskforce on Early Childhood Education recommends dropping the universal 20 hours’ early childhood education subsidy from the current $11.25 per child per hour down to just $8.80 per child per hour?
This Government has made no decisions on any recommendations from the Taskforce on Early Childhood Education. But this Government has put $1.4 billion into early childhood education, which is the most any Government has ever spent and is an increase of 38 percent since we came into Government.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked for a commitment about 20 hours’ early childhood education in terms of the subsidies and the fee controls.
The member has to be reasonable in the answers she expects to questions. If the Government is considering, as the Minister has explained to the House, this task force report—and we have to accept that the Minister has said that—how can the Minister then rule out this and rule out that? The member has to be reasonable in that when the Government is still considering a task force report, I cannot insist the Minister pre-empt its decisions by giving answers to the House ahead of the Government making decisions on those issues. I just cannot do that.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Kia ora tātou. What progress has the Minister achieved in responding to the concerns raised by kōhanga reo about any changes to their funding or governance, and does the Minister believe that because of the key role kōhanga reo play in the survival of te reo Māori there are special reasons why the kōhanga reo movement must be supported?