Hansard

Prayers.

JANELLE AMALFITANO (List): I move, That this House note that this is the first Youth Parliament since the adoption of the mixed-member proportional electoral system, and that the event provides 120 young people an opportunity to have their opinions heard.

Motion agreed to.

HELEN BLAZEY (Banks Peninsula): I move, That this House note that 10 March 1997 marked Commonwealth Day and that the calling together of this Youth Parliament recognises the aim of the Commonwealth Year to increase youth awareness and participation in the parliamentary process.

Motion agreed to.

1. BENJAMIN PARTON (Hutt South) to the Prime Minister: Seventy-two percent of Pacific Islanders and 66 percent of Maori do not pass School Certificate. Pacific Island males have a 16 percent unemployment rate compared with 5 percent of Pakeha. The problem is obviously deeper than the education system; what is the Government doing to change this?

Rt Hon. J B BOLGER (Prime Minister): I apologise for the length of the answer. The issue, as the questioner suggested, is deeper than the education system alone. The Government recognised the challenge ahead in reducing disparities experienced by Maori and Pacific Islands people. A number of key initiatives to address these issues feature in the coalition agreement. There are no easy solutions, and that is accepted.

Responses are required across many of the key areas of Government activity, including education policy as one of the key vehicles for raising participation and attainment levels of all students.

The initiatives include increased funding for quality early-childhood education; assistance for schools at risk, which was announced by the Minister of Education last week; the development of a Maori education strategy; targeted resources for those with low qualifications through such programmes as the Training Opportunities Programme----well over 50 percent of the participants are Maori or Pacific Islanders----student allowances, which are currently targeted to those most at need; initiatives to revive te reo Maori; the comprehensive treatment of Maori grievances through the treaty claim process; the coordination and improvement of delivery of social services in conjunction with strengthening families and community networks; the tax reduction and social policy legislation, which gives relief to low-income earners and incentives to participate in the labour market; and a clear focus on assistance for those who are unemployed and at risk of becoming long-term unemployed.

These are some of the key initiatives the Government is taking to address the question raised by the questioner.

2. MICHELLE HEDE (Manukau East) to the Prime Minister: Given that it is the Government's policy to reduce national debt, how does he explain students with loans going overseas and having their payments delayed?

Rt Hon. J B BOLGER (Prime Minister): The operation of the student loan scheme as it applies to recipients going overseas is as follows. Unless students are studying overseas for a recognised New Zealand qualification, they are treated by the Inland Revenue Department for taxation purposes as either resident or non-resident. If they are resident, then the normal repayment criteria for student loans apply----that is, the income repayment threshold is $14,560. If students are non-resident then their student loans are calculated under a different repayment schedule whereby they have a maximum repayment period of 15 years.

There is no contradiction between the Government's objective of reducing public debt, and students incurring private debt to pay for a portion of their tuition costs. Student loans are treated in the Government's balance sheet as an asset. As such, student loans are not a disproportionate share of the Crown's assets. Total Crown assets as at June 1996 were $59 billion, which compares with the estimated total student loan portfolio in 2024 of around $12 billion in 1995 dollar terms. This compares with total household borrowings this year, which were $47 billion, and mortgages held by homeowners of $39.4 billion. It is expected that the student loan scheme will break even on a cash basis in about 2014.

3. KAMAHL SANTAMARIA (Pakuranga) to the Minister of Education: Looking back, 7 years on, can the Government consider Tomorrow's Schools to have been a success?

Hon. NICK SMITH (Associate Minister of Education), on behalf of the Minister of Education: Yes, the Government does believe that the Tomorrow's Schools reforms have been a success. If we reflect back on the Picot report in 1987, it stated at that time that the school system was overly complex and overly centralised, there was a lack of information and choice, there was a lack of effective management practices, there was a feeling amongst boards of powerlessness, there was an absence of priorities, there was a lack of accountability, and there were not the incentives to manage our schools effectively. It is the Government's view that with Tomorrow's Schools the taxpayer is getting better value for money out of the huge investment in schools, and, further to that, that communities have far greater and more effective management in those schools.

4. YUNN LEE (List) to the Minister of Education: As bilingualism is now an important issue in our relationships with other countries and an increasingly needed skill, will the Minister consider the compulsory learning of a second language, beginning in primary school?

Hon. NICK SMITH (Associate Minister of Education), on behalf of the Minister of Education: The New Zealand Curriculum Framework states that all students benefit from learning another language from the earliest practical age.

Schools make their own decisions about the nature of language learning programmes, in response to local community needs and initiatives. An increasing number of schools, including primary schools, are offering second languages. Many New Zealand students are involved in Maori immersion or bilingual classes, and are bilingual in Maori and English. In 1995 the then Minister, Dr the Hon. Lockwood Smith, announced a Government initiative to extend the learning of second languages to years 7 to 10----that is, forms I to IV----and $4.8 million was allocated over a 3-year programme for this purpose. The Second Language Learning Project involves over 100 schools across the country. There is variety in the intensity of courses, whether or not they are compulsory, the numbers of students involved, the languages offered, and the way in which the programmes are delivered. An evaluation of the Second Language Learning Project is currently under way with the aim of informing policy in the area of second language learning, and the Government will consider the results of that review when it is received.

5. VIKKI WEAKE (List) to the Minister of Education: Will there be funding specifically provided for secondary schools for urgently needed resources for technology?

Hon. NICK SMITH (Associate Minister of Education), on behalf of the Minister of Education: Funding is provided within the school operations grant to meet the resourcing of all curriculum areas, including technology. This funding is not tagged for any specific purpose, because the Government believes that boards of trustees can best set the priorities for any particular school in terms of where the need is greatest. In the 1994 Budget, this Government increased the operations grant by $20 million.

Approximately a third of this was allowed for boards to resource the technology curriculum. I am advised that the majority of boards have committed this and other funds to support technology in schools. It is acknowledged by the Government that there is a particular problem with the huge and rapid rate of depreciation of technology in schools, and it is one of the matters that is being considered for this year's Budget. But I would note that in last year's Budget the operations grant was increased by a further 5 percent.

6. LISA MINCHIN (List) to the Minister of Education: What steps have been taken to judge the responses to the new qualifications framework?

Hon. NICK SMITH (Associate Minister of Education), on behalf of the Minister of Education: The Government will be releasing a public consultation paper----a green paper----on issues relating to the national qualifications framework within the next few weeks. The paper will outline the Government's thinking on how we might address the issues that have arisen in implementing the framework so far. It is acknowledged by the Government that there is considerable controversy about the new qualifications framework. The Government will invite public submissions on these issues and any other matters related to that framework, and the Government would welcome responses from students to that discussion.

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority itself also monitors the responses from teachers, and the Government has a number of programmes in place to get feedback on the effectiveness of the qualifications framework.

7. LENA RIPLEY (Napier) to the Minister of Education: Have students been consulted about the proposed unit standards? Tamatea High School has trialled a number of subjects. Many of our students have strong reservations as a result. Many students' concerns are shared by staff. What evidence is there of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority consulting students? Should students be consulted?

Hon. NICK SMITH (Associate Minister of Education), on behalf of the Minister of Education: Yes, the Government is of the view that indeed students should be consulted in the development of New Zealand Qualifications Authority policy. I am aware of concerns about the nature of the qualification system in terms of the specific matter of consultation.

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority conducted a survey, in term 4 of 1996, of schools participating in the unit standards trials. Heads of department were asked to provide comments on student achievement and student attitudes. Analysis of the responses from history teachers has been completed. The analysis of science, physics, chemistry, and biology responses is currently under way. In addition, all students in the 1996 trial schools were invited to complete a questionnaire on assessment for qualifications, which asked for their opinion on the unit standards assessment. Comments were obtained from over 6,000 students.

8. SARAH O'NEILL (Invercargill) to the Minister of Finance:

Would the Minister please say when the assets of the Power Company (formerly Southland Electric Power Supply) will be returned to the people of Southland, and whether the Minister favours the return of the assets to a 100 percent owner consumer trust, or in the form of a 100 percent share give-away to consumers?

Rt Hon. BILL BIRCH (Minister of Finance): This is a very good question, and goes back to the time when the Crown assumed legal ownership of what was the original power board. Way back in 1936 the power board got into financial difficulties, and the Crown assumed legal ownership of the assets and the liabilities. The new Government is yet to decide when, and in what form, the Power Company Ltd will be returned. In determining the appropriate organisational form for the Power Company Ltd, the Government will need to balance several considerations. These include assessing which organisational form would efficiently provide ongoing services to the people of Southland, minimising risks, the ongoing involvement of the Crown, and, finally, provision of a form acceptable to the people of Southland. I hope this issue can be resolved by the parties in the near future.

9. ATAWHAI TE HAU (Te Tai Tonga) to the Minister of Maori Affairs: Why is the Government so reluctant to make te reo Maori a compulsory subject in primary or secondary education?

Hon. TAU HENARE (Minister of Maori Affairs): The question has been forwarded to the Minister of Education, who is responsible for primary and secondary education. I agree that Maori language should be compulsory in primary and secondary schools. Although I personally favour this idea, it will not necessarily become Government policy. The majority of members of Parliament believe that Maori language should be an optional subject in schools.

10. METEHAERE ROTANA (Te Tai Hauauru) to the Minister of Education: He aha te take kaaore e taea e au ki te whakatoopuu I aku maaka mo te Kapahipi Maaori I whakamatauhia e au I te tau 1995 ki ngaa maaka o ngaa pepa Karahipi ka whakamatauhia e au aa te tau 1998?

Hon. NICK SMITH (Associate Minister of Education): Can I firstly apologise to the member for not responding in Maori. During my time in education I learnt the useless language of French and now would much rather have learnt Maori. The Qualifications Authority regulations do allow students to aggregate marks for more than 1 year. If a combination of their Maori mark in 1995 and the other results from 1998 are good enough to give them entrance to university or an A or B bursary qualification, then they can apply to the Qualifications Authority for the relevant certificate. However, it is worth noting that the results issued in January included the results from only the previous year's examinations and not from former years.