General Debate

I move, That the House take note of miscellaneous business.

If there’s any issue that shows the growing gap between intention and reality on the part of this Government, it’s the shambles around partnership schools. If you want an illustration of the shambles, it’s this: the achievement of a student—in fact, a number of students; it could be up to four—from a partnership school has become an embarrassment for the Labour Government, because they turned up at the Prime Minister’s awards and she found herself, embarrassingly, in a photo with a young New Zealander whose achievement was being recognised but in a school where the Labour Party doesn’t like its legal form.

How ridiculous can it be? These high-sounding intentions about education, the aspirations of our young people, and a Prime Minister embarrassed about the achievement of what may be some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable young people, whose effort and inspiration was recognised at those awards. So that’s where the Labour Government’s got us to: achievement is embarrassing if it’s the wrong person from the wrong school. I have absolutely no doubt that under the management of this Government, if they had known those young people were coming to get Prime Minister’s awards, they would have made sure it did not happen—they would have made sure it did not happen.

That’s before you get to the somewhat delicate issue of the Māori Cabinet Ministers doing deals with the schools that they sponsored. Look, it was always going to be a bit difficult—well, New Zealand First should be listening to this, because it’s special treatment.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I know this is a robust debate, but a member—and a member like that one, in terms of his seniority in this House—cannot allege deals of the character and the nature that he’s alleging. That may be common in some political parties, but it’s not with this Government.

💬 SPEAKER: No—[Interruption] Order! I think this is a robust debate, and, in my view, in this context, the word “deal” is not necessarily out of order. I don’t think there was an implication of corruption, and therefore I’ll allow the member to continue.

It’s really a simple issue. There’re a number of partnership schools. Some of them were sponsored by people who are now Cabinet Ministers, and there’s growing evidence that Cabinet Ministers—the Cabinet; these are Ministers covered by the collective responsibility of Cabinet—on the one hand, have made Cabinet decisions to pass legislation to close the schools, because that’s what the legislation does, but, on the other hand, are, behind closed doors, having discussions. Now, what are those discussions about? It’s probably not about closing the schools earlier; it’s probably about how they can ensure the survival of those schools that they sponsored. It’s completely understandable; it just shows you how ridiculous the policy is, that a Cabinet includes Ministers who sponsored partnership schools, know the value of them, and want to keep them open. Isn’t it unfortunate that they happen to be two Māori Ministers with Māori schools, which makes the other schools—the Pacific schools and the other more mainstream schools—feel like they don’t have special access to Cabinet Ministers who will advocate for them?

What’s most disturbing here is that the Prime Minister does not understand what is going on. I mean, what we are seeing here is a big backdown, and it’s getting slippery and difficult and, I would suggest, legally complex.

We found out today that the Government may be legally liable for payments of up to $15 million, not for more education but to actually stop the education. They may have to pay out $15 million to stop the superior, better education of 1,500 of New Zealand’s most vulnerable children. How ridiculous is that? I mean, they used to promise to spend more money on more education, and now they look like they’re stuck with spending $15 million on no education, to actually stop that happening. The Prime Minister has illustrated continuing embarrassment about this—does not understand the legislation is a guillotine. It chops the partnership schools. They’re going to pass a law to close them.

The only issue is on what basis those schools will be allowed to reopen, and today I asked her two things. A guarantee: if they believe these schools should continue in a different form, then the Government should, before negotiations, guarantee those children—that’s who it’s for—that if the school closes on Friday once Parliament legislates to close them—[Time expired]

Debate interrupted.