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While the Left fiddles, the Right beats their war-drum
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While the Left has been fiddling about with much gnashing of teeth and tears of concern over the right of two Canadian neo-fascists to speak at an Auckland City council venue – National’s focus has been laser-like at regaining power in 2020.
Like rust, the Right doesn’t sleep. Their failure to install a fourth-term National government came about only because of a fatal mis-step by (most likely) someone in the National Party/Government in a clumsy, ham-fisted ploy to undermine Winston Peters and cripple NZ First in last year’s general election.
Whoever released Peters’ superannuation over-payments to the media did so with political malice-aforethought. It was an agenda to neuter Peters and his party, and it was executed with callous precision.
It failed because Peters was canny enough to counter with a parry that revealed the ploy for the ruthless strategy that it was.
The black-ops plan succeeded in only alienating Peters and reminding him that National was not to be trusted. With thirtythree years political experience, Peters had no intention to be anyone’s “useful idiot”.
With no potential coalition partner on the horizon (unless one is manufactured by a National MP splintering from his party), National’s only remaining options are;
- Coalition with the Greens. Chances: worse than winning Powerball Lotto.
- Winning 50%-plus of the Party Vote. Chances: somewhat better than Option One.
National opened it’s 2020 election campaign with three salvos of highly publicised policy released with much fanfare at it’s recent conference.
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Charter Schools
For most middle and upper-middle class voters Charter Schools are a non-issue. Their children either attend State schools, Integrated Schools, or Private Schools. The common thread between all three is that they are established; staffed with qualified professionals; and the curriculum is bog-standard (with minor variations-on-a-theme.)
Charter Schools would appear to further ghettoise education for lower socio-economic families – a fact already well-known as “white flight” from low-decile State schools.
National’s hard-line stance to increase Charter School numbers should it be re-elected to power is curious because it would not appear to be much of a drawcard for propertied middleclass voters who tend to vote along self-interest lines.
Which indicates that the policy has other intentions; a toxic “witches’ brew” of ideological (further) commercialisation of education and a subtle, well-camouflaged attack on teacher’s unions.
So: not specifically designed to be a vote-winning policy. More of an weaponised attack-policy on State education and unions.
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Classroom sizes
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising policy to be released was classroom size reduction. Made by current National Party leader, Simon Bridges on the day of the Conference opening on 29 July, he committed National to this radical (for Tories) social policy in clear english;
“All our kids should get the individual attention they deserve. That’s why I want more teachers in our primary schools, to ensure smaller class sizes for our children.
Schools currently get one teacher for every 29 nine and ten year olds. It’s lower than that for younger children.
Those ratios should be reduced.”
Mr Bridges’ newfound concern for classroom sizes harks back to several speeches made by former PM, John Key, in 2007 and 2008, where he lamented growing social problems in New Zealand.
In 2007;
“As New Zealanders, we have grown up to believe in and cherish an egalitarian society. We like to think that our children’s futures will be determined by their abilities, their motivation and their hard work. They will not be dictated by the size of their parent’s bank balance or the suburb they were born in.”
And again in 2007;
“During his State of the Nation speech on Tuesday, Mr Key indicated National would seek to introduce a food in schools programme at our poorest schools in partnership with the business community.
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“I approached Wesley Primary School yesterday, a decile 1 school near McGehan Close, a street that has had more than its fair share of problems in recent times. I am told Wesley Primary, like so many schools in New Zealand, has too many kids turning up hungry.
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“We all instinctively know that hungry kids aren’t happy and healthy kids.”
In 2008;
“This time a year ago, I talked about the underclass that has been allowed to develop in New Zealand. Labour said the problem didn’t exist. They said there was no underclass in New Zealand.”
Once elected into power, National quiety dropped it’s concern for social problems. Social Development Minister, Paula Bennett, did not even want to countenance measuring growing child poverty in this country. It suddenly became the fault of the poor.
Now Simon Bridges has dusted off National’s Manual for Crying Crocodile Tears.
Ironically, in tapping into parental fears of over-burdened schools and their children suffering because of over-worked teachers, Mr Bridges’ policy commitment stands diametrically opposed to National’s doomed policy announced on 16 May 2012 to increase classroom sizes;
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The policy was announced by gaff-prone former education minister, Hekia Parata, who clumsily (if honestly) admitted that the move was purely for fiscal reasons;
”The reality is that we are in a tight economic environment. In order to make new investment in quality teaching and leading, we have to make some trade-offs… ”
Teachers – and more importantly, voting middle-class parents were having none of it. National’s cost-cutting of welfare, health, and state housing was one thing. But interfering with their Little Johnny and Janey’s education? Like hell.
Especially when it was revealed that then-Prime Minister, John Key’s own children attended private schools with… smaller class sizes!
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The over-powering stench of hypocrisy further infuriated the voting public. The policy lasted twentyone days before it was hastily dumped;
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Simon Bridges was unequivocal: a National government would spend more on education;
“National will invest more to make sure our kids get the best quality start to their education, but we will also demand nothing but the highest standards.”
However, National has not explained how they will pay for the cost of additional teachers. Especially as National continues to advocate for a billion dollar mega-prison to be built; promised to dump the Coalition’s fuel taxes, and has not ruled out offering election tax-cut bribes.
As National has been fond of demanding: where will the money come from for extra teachers? Is this National’s own multi-billion dollar fiscal hole?
It was left to Labour’s own education minister, Chris Hipkins to point out;
“It’s very expensive to make even a modest change to class sizes and I think that’s something we want to talk to the teaching profession about.”
However, barely a day after his Conference speech, Mr Bridges was already backtracking;
Simon Bridges admits his promise of smaller class sizes may not mean fewer students per classroom.
The National leader announced a new policy to reduce the teacher-student ratio, as a centrepiece of his conference address over the weekend.
However, many primary schools run “modern learning environments” with several classes in the same room.
Bridges told Kerre McIvor National’s policy is about the number of staff per student, not the number of students per room.
” So in those modern learning environments, that may mean more teachers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean smaller classrooms.”
At least Hekia Parata’s plan to increase classroom sizes lasted three weeks. Mr Bridges’ ersatz “commitment” did not last 24 hours.
The Coalition should be making mincemeat out of Mr Bridges’ policy u-turn.
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Crime
An oldie, but a goodie. Tories understand how to tug the fear-strings of a sizeable chunk of the voting middle-class. National and other conservative parties around the world are (in)famous for manipulating middle-class fears on crime for electoral purposes.
One of their 2011 election hoardings explicitly exploited those fears;
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A recent video campaign on National’s Facebook platform has gone a step further into whipping up fear and paranoia;
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This is a shameful, naked ploy to play on peoples’ fears.
It was backed up by former mercenary, and current National Party “Justice” Spokesperson, Mark Mitchell, who tried to offer “alternative facts” relating to crime figures;
The Government needs to stop looking for excuses to go soft on crime and come up with a plan to reduce crime, National’s Justice Spokesperson Mark Mitchell says.
“No doubt the report today from the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor saying that being tough on crime is to blame for rising prison costs and inmate numbers is music to Andrew Little and Grant Robertson’s ears.
“They’ve been looking for excuses to loosen up bail and sentencing laws so that the Government doesn’t have to go ahead with building the new Waikeria prison and can boast about reducing prison numbers.
“But the cost of prisons cannot be an excuse not to put people in prison, if that’s where they need to be. The priority must be to ensure that victims are kept safe from violent criminals.
“We know that the overall crime rate has been decreasing, but a lot of that is due to a reduction in lower-level offending.
“Violent crime has actually gone up four per cent since 2011 and this is largely the type of crime that people get sent to prison for. This is also the type of crime that has the most serious and long-lasting impact on victims’ lives.
Which is confusing as not too long ago, National was trumpeting several propaganda infographics on their Twitter account;
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Mr Mitchell is at pains to point out that “we know that the overall crime rate has been decreasing, but a lot of that is due to a reduction in lower-level offending” – yet the infographics above make no such distinction. On the contrary, the second “broken bottles” infographic makes clear the figures relate to “Total Recorded Crimes”.
Perhaps they should get their propaganda straight.
In a startling admission, Mr Mitchell confirmed that ““violent crime has actually gone up four per cent since 2011″. It appears that the “Three Strikes Law” – enacted the previous year in 2010 – has failed to reduce criminal offending.
The questions that Coalition government ministers should be putting to their National Party colleagues are;
- Is it not irresponsible to be exploiting fear about crime for electoral purposes? How will knee-jerk rhetoric assist an intelligent debate on imprisonment and rehabilitation?
- If crime, imprisonment, and rehabilitation require cross-party concensus, will National continue to pursue electioneering on “tough on crime”?
- If National pursues a get-tough-on-crime election platform in 2020, and if they are elected to government – how will they pay for hundreds more prisoners jailed? Will National borrow a billion dollars to pay for a new mega-prison? Will health, education, DoC, and social housing budgets be cut? Will National increase GST, as they did in 2010 (despite promising not to)?
- What is the limit that National will tolerate for an increasing prison population?
National has made clear that it intends to play the “tough-on-crime” card at the next election. The propaganda campaign has already begun.
The Coalition Parties need to formulate a clear strategy to combat fear-mongering by a National party desperate to regain power.
The question that should be put to National is; where will the billions of dollars for new prisons come from?
The prison population has all but doubled in eighteen years, and tripled since 1987, as successive governments have ramped up “tough on crime” rhetoric and pandered to fearful low-information voters;
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Tough-on-crime may be National’s default strategy. If addressed correctly, it can also be their weakness.
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References
NZ Herald: Steven Joyce says he would have advised against leaking Winston Peters’ super details
The Daily Blog: Real reason why National are considering cutting ACT off
NZ Herald: National Party conference kicks off with nod for Simon Bridges from former Australian PM John Howard
Massey University: Education Policy Response Group (p30)
Fairfax media: Parents’ choice driving ‘eye-opening’ segregation in New Zealand schools
NZ Herald: National will cut primary school class sizes if it gets into Govt, Simon Bridges tells conference
NZ Herald: John Key’s ‘A fair go for all’ speech
Scoop media: National launches its Food in Schools programme
NZ Herald: John Key – State of the Nation speech
NZ Herald: Measuring poverty line not a priority – Bennett
NZ Herald: Key admits underclass still growing
NZ Herald: Food parcel families made poor choices, says Key
Fairfax media: Bigger class sizes announced
NZ Herald: Key called hypocrite over class sizes
Fairfax media: Backlash forces Government class size U-turn
Fairfax media: Smaller class sizes under Nats, says Simon Bridges in major speech
NewstalkZB: Simon Bridges explains smaller class size policy
Radio NZ: No promises from Hipkins on reducing class sizes
NZ Herald: Simon Bridges says scale-back of Waikeria prison flies in the face of latest prison projections
NZ Herald: Sir John Key downplays Simon Bridges’ polling ahead of National Party conference
TVNZ: Simon Bridges says he’ll dump regional fuel tax if elected
Fairfax media: Does the Government have any money for this Budget? Yes
NZ Herald: Murder and mutilation comments emerge on National’s new ‘tough on crime’ social media campaign
National Party: Prison costs cannot be excuse to go soft on crime
Twitter: National Party – The crime rate is falling under National.
Parliament Legislation: Sentencing and Parole Reform Act 2010
Fairfax media: Key ‘no GST rise’ video emerges
Fairfax media: National leader Simon Bridges talks up ‘tough on crime’ stance
Fairfax media: 20 Years of ‘tough on crime’ stance sees prison population surge
Additional
Radio NZ: Charter school report silent on educational achievement
Other Blogposts
The Daily Blog: What everyone seemed to miss in their criticism of the National Party Conference
The Daily Blog: What the 2018 National Party Conference tells us
Previous related blogposts
Weekend Revelations #3 – Greg O’Connor and criminal statistics
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This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 7 August 2018.
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NZ Initiative – Bulk Funding Schools
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Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein.
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On 6 July, the “NZ Initiative” – a re-branded right-wing think-tank previously known as the NZ Business Roundtable – released a propaganda-piece entitled, ‘Amplifying Excellence: Promoting Transparency, Professionalism and Support in Schools‘. The so-called “report” advocated more sly “free market” forces unleashed onto our constantly-changing education system.
The title of the “report” sneakily implies our education system is not transparent; is un-professional; and our schools un-supported.
Amongst the several vague recommendations was this one;
True to New Zealand’s self-managed school landscape, the government largely lets school boards and principals get on with leading their schools. However, in other respects, school leaders can be hamstrung by bureaucratic restrictions; for example, the Ministry prescribes how school leaders should spend parts of their teaching resource budgets.
Recommendation 6: Effective leaders should be trusted as true professionals and granted total budget autonomy to lead their schools.
“Total budget autonomy” is code for bulk-funding – a favourite agenda from the New Right.
Bulk-funding had previously been introduced as part of National’s “Ruthenasia reforms” in the 1990s. It was done away with by the Labour-Alliance government in 2000.
In June last year, then-Education Minister Hekia Parata attempted to resurrect the corpse of Bulk Funding under a new guise, “Global Funding“;
The change would set a “global budget” for each school, delivered as cash instalments for school expenses, and a credit system for salaries.
According to the documents, this would mean:
• Principals would determine the split between cash and credit, with the flexibility to make adjustments during the year.
• Unspent credit would be paid out at the end of the year and a process for recovering credit overspends would be established.
• Teaching staff salaries would be charged against the “credit” portion at an average rate.
• Non-teaching staff salaries would be charged against the “credit” portion at actual cost.
The global budget system would not be the same as the controversial bulk funding of teacher salaries that sparked protests 20 years ago, the proposal said. The documents said: “This is a significant difference from historical bulk funding proposals which would have seen schools charged the actual salary.”
The reaction was predictable, and Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) president, Angela Roberts, spoke for many when she warned;
“It is bulk funding. It is minor technicalities that make it something different, and I think it’s very cynical of the ministry to think that they can con people with a change in language.”
The schools get to decide how they spend that, how many teachers they purchase effectively and how many teacher aides. So schools will be incentivised through the averaging out to have cheaper teachers or fewer teachers because they can cash that money up.
Bulk funding was resoundingly rejected by the community 20 years ago because everybody understood the cost would be borne by the school when the government couldn’t be bothered putting more money into the system.”
Opposition to Parata’s Bulk-Funding-In-Drag plan was met with heated opposition by parents, teachers, school principals. Donna Eden, a teacher with 20 years’ education experience explained why she was so vehemently opposed to “Global Funding”;
“Teachers really don’t like bulk funding, so much so that they have been out of the classrooms meeting and rallying. And they’re talking to anyone who will listen about how our kids will be worse off.
And they will.
Why? Well, it will mean bigger classes and fewer teachers. It will mean our kids have less time with their teacher because instead of sharing him or her with 15 other children there will be 30 or more classmates needing the attention of their kaiako. It will mean less support for the kids that need it. It will mean fewer teacher aides for fewer hours.
It will likely mean untrained teachers in the classroom because they will be cheaper to pay.
It will mean winners and losers, and that, my friends, is not okay. Every child deserves the best, all of them, all over our country.
It’s simply that schools will be given a lump sum of money. And from this lump sum they will pay teachers’ salaries (which are currently centrally funded, meaning they don’t cost schools) and for everything else (think the power, water, supplies, first aid supplies, the caretaker, the office staff , support staff like teacher aides, any class room resources…)
There will be a separate pool of money for maintenance – property repairs and the like.
Why is it bad news?
[…]
Firstly, because there is no new money. It’s just moving around the money that is already there. And it’s already not enough.
For the first time ever school operations grants, the cash that keeps schools running, have been frozen.
While costs rise, this budget won’t keep up. This means cuts to what schools can offer. It will start with trimming the extracurricular stuff. It won’t stop from there.
Hekia Parata is looking to remove the caps to class sizes and the guaranteed teacher funding this brings. It will mean that classes will get bigger – they will have to in order to stay within budget.
It’s like trying to do the grocery shopping with the usual budget when you have four extra people staying for the week. It just won’t stretch; something will have to give.
If it comes down to a choice between paying the power bill and paying a teacher, it is principals and boards of trustees that will have to decide who goes. What a horrible decision to have to make.”
On 18 November last year, Parata caved to mounting public pressure and announced that National would not proceed on it’s “Global Funding” policy;
“I have therefore recommended, and Cabinet has agreed, that the global budget proposal not proceed. The global budget was a mechanism for payment, not for determining the level of funding, so this decision will not affect the core purpose of the review.”
The successor to Ruth Richardson’s Bulk Funding, Parata’s “Global Funding”, was quietly returned to the Historical Rubbish Bin of Very Bad Ideas.
Barely a year later and the NZ Initiative/Business Roundtable has attempted to breathe life back into Bulk Funding/Global Funding. This time referring to the model as ‘Total Budget Autonomy‘. (No doubt Crosky-Textor or some other tax-payer funded spin-doctor will come up with some new clever, shiny name.)
But it’s still a pig. Perhaps with a new shade of lipstick. But a pig still.
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The question is, why the Neo-libs keep beating the same drum? Why keep trying to implement a policy that has been tried; failed; and almost no one wants.
More importantly, the evidence is that Donna Eden’s fears are well-based and grounded in reality.
New Zealand has had bulk-funding in another area of the State Sector – and it has proven to be a dismal failure;
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Analysing budget short-falls and DHB deficits two years ago, Fairfax journalist Stacy Kirk wrote;
Specifically, [Treasury] documents say DHB underfunding will put pay increases for public sector health workers, including nurses and doctors, at risk.
Cost pressures mean DHBs have not been fully funded to cover wage increases for the 40,000 workers whose contracts are up for renegotiation shortly.
Ms Kirk reported Treasury officials as saying;
“The fiscal strategy presents some tough choices for Budget 2015, there are a number of fiscal pressures across the social sector, and Ministers will need to review options and trade-offs to determine an appropriate Budget package.”
The Treasury document that Ms Kirk quotes makes this observation on funding DHBs;
There are material cost pressures affecting the Ministry-managed NDE [non-departmental expenditure] service lines that need to be managed as part ofthis process. These cost pressures will include demographic demand growth,wage and price inflation, and other factors. As for DHBs, it is unlikely thatthese pressures can be fully funded, so we will be looking to the sector todeliver substantial efficiencies. To maintain current levels of serviceprovision, it is likely that a reasonably large injection of new funding willbe needed – in addition to the $275 million already agreed for DHBs – orMinisters will need to make choices on what services are to be altered or cut back.
Note this bit; “…cost pressures will include demographic demand growth, wage and price inflation, and other factors. As for DHBs, it is unlikely that these pressures can be fully funded, so we will be looking to the sector to deliver substantial efficiencies”.
Treasury’s admonition that “it is unlikely that these pressures can be fully funded” for DHBs is borne out by the number of Boards that are in deficit – and worsening. A forecasted $58.7 million deficit has blown out to $89.9 million. Half of DHBs either in the red, or perilously close to it;
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In the case of Capital and Coast DHB – currently $28 million in deficit – it is noteworthy that there financial woes started in the mid-1990s;
In 1995-96 Capital Coast Health reported a deficit of $26m, which the following year grew to $70m. Chief financial officer Tony Hickmott said the $68m debt hole left by the construction of the regional hospital in 2008 had contributed to deficits for the past 10 years.
Increased demand for services, high labour costs, increased complexity of patients, and the increasing and ageing population had compounded the issue.
Building construction. Labour costs. Demand for services. Increased complexity. Increasing population. Each one of those factors can easily be translated into the education sector which also requires building upgrades or building entire new class-rooms; growing students rolls; increasing special-needs; and rising population due to National’s exploitation of migration to create the illusion of economic growth.
Now add Bulk Funding/Global Funding/’Total Budget Autonomy’ into the mix for schools.
How long would it be before schools found themselves in precisely the same precarious financial woes that our DHBs are currently suffering?
As things currently stand, parents/guardians are having to dip more and more into their pockets to pay “school donations”, to make up for obvious shortfalls in the Vote Education budget;
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Of course, the National government still claims – without a hint of self-awareness of the Big Lie – that education is still free in New Zealand;
It’s free to go to a state school — but the school can ask for donations towards their running costs.
But at least one school – St Heliers – is unashamedly upfront in why school “donations” are necessary;
A donation is requested of parents to contribute towards the shortfall in funding from the Government.
Even with direct Ministry funding, schools are still having to make up a “shortfall in funding from the Government“. This dire situation has been compounded by National’s decision to freeze school operational funding this year;
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The above Herald story goes on to report;
The targeted approach means more than 1300 schools will get less money than they would have received, had that money been used for a general increase.
The difference ranges from a few hundred dollars up to $24,000.
About 816 schools will get more, and information on a further 242 schools is suppressed for privacy reasons because fewer than five students are at-risk.
Now imagine the funding constraints that schools would have to deal with if Bulk Funding/Global Funding/’Total Budget Autonomy’ was re-introduced for their sector.
But we don’t have to imagine, do we? Because half the District Health Boards in this country have already shown us what would be in store for schools throughout the country.
Which is something that the NZ Initiative/Business Roundtable seems to have studiously over-looked when they compiled their rubbish report, ‘Amplifying Excellence: Promoting Transparency, Professionalism and Support in Schools‘.
Never under-estimate the ability of the New Right to suggest policies that that been tried, tested, and failed. Just keep repeating the experiment over and over and over again.
One day the result will be different.
Of course it will. Just ask Albert Einstein.
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References
NBR: Roundtable and NZ Institute morph into new libertarian think tank
NZ Initiative: Amplifying Excellence: Promoting Transparency, Professionalism and Support in Schools
Victoria University: The Bulk Funding of Teacher’s Salaries – A Case Study in Education Policy
NZ Herald: New funding system for schools including a ‘global’ salary criticised
Radio NZ: Teachers fear ‘bulk funding in new guise’
The Spinoff: A teacher tells you what you need to know about bulk funding
Fairfax media: Education Minister signals end of school bulk funding and decile systems
Fairfax media: DHBs ‘considerably’ underfunded – and more deficits predicted
Treasury NZ: Treasury Budget 2015 Information Release Document July 2015
Fairfax media: DHB deficits blowing to $90m. Health sector dying ‘by 1000 service cuts’ – Labour
Fairfax media: Capital & Coast DHB’s debt hole deepens as boss admits 20 years of deficits
Fairfax media: Parents prop up schools to tune of $250m
NZ Herald: School costs – $40,000 for ‘free’ state education
NZ Herald: Parents fundraise $357m for ‘free’ schooling
NZ Herald: Parents paid $161m for children’s ‘free education
NZ Government: Education – school fees
NZ Herald: ‘At risk’ school funding revealed – with 1300 to lose out under new model
Other Blogs
Save our Schools: Parata backs down on bulk funding plans
Chris Trotter: Morbid Symptoms – Neoliberalism’s Room for Manoeuvre Keeps Shrinking
Previous related blogposts
Can we afford to have “a chat on food in schools”?
Cutting taxes toward more user-pays – the Great Kiwi Con
The Legacy of a Dismantled Prime Minister
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This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 15 July 2017.
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Special Education Funding – Robbing Peter, Paul, and Mary to pay Tom, Dick, and Harriet
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Beware of so-called “Reforms”
In December last year, National announced plans to “overhaul its educational support for children with special needs“. Radio NZ reported;
From the middle of next year it said the system would be significantly redesigned to be simpler and provide more support for teachers and parents.
Today it published the results of 150 public meetings held this year to identify ways of improving education for children with special education needs, such as a physical or mental disability.
As a result of those meetings it is planning changes that would include giving families, teachers and specialists a single point of contact for arranging support for children.
Before that happened, the Education Ministry would begin 22 projects aimed at improving special education in groups of schools and early childhood centres around the country.
As with all reforms from National, there would be ‘fish hooks’. Promises to “provide more support for teachers and parents” would prove to be a sugar-coated pill at best – or most likely illusory in actuality.
Rumblings in the Education Sector
On 15 April this year, Radio NZ reported further criticisms of under-funding for children with special needs;
Special education desperately needs more funding, which should be included in the government’s overhaul of the sector, parents and educators say.
The Ministry of Education says it is simplifying the $590 million system for helping children with disabilities, but there won’t be any more money to accompany the changes which will be introduced in 2017.
Critics say that is not good enough, because too many children are not getting the help they need.
The Early Childhood sector criticised National for under-funding special needs children;
Early Childhood Council chief executive Peter Reynolds said more support was also desperately needed in the early childhood sector.
“The model isn’t working that’s there at the moment. It needs to be changed and it’s got to be done quickly.
“It’s okay to take your time over doing a review or whatever you want to call it, but at the end of the day we’ve got people falling through the gaps right now, and they shouldn’t have to.”
Parata responded;
But Education Minister Hekia Parata said she was confident there would be tangible benefits from the special education changes, without more money.
“We want to get this right. We have a vision for a system that is inclusive, we’re recognised internationally as being so and we just want to continuously improve.”
Note the caveat from Parata; “without more money“.
Where would increased funding for under-fives with special needs come from if it was achieved “without more money“?
Answer: National resorted to one of it’s old tricks.
Parata’s Proposal
The answer came as a bombshell on 22 August.
Education Minister, Hekia Parata, revealed that primary and secondary schools’ funding for special needs students would be slashed, and the money re-directed to under-fives. As Radio NZ explained;
The [Cabinet] documents also indicated the government would reduce the amount of special education funding spent in the school sector, and dramatically increase the amount spent on those under the age of five.
“Analysis of the spend by the age range of the recipient indicates that a disproportionate amount of the funds are for school-age children. This is despite clear evidence in some areas that early support can have greater benefits in terms of educational outcomes.”
As implications of Parata’s scheme began to percolate through the education sector, reaction was scathing. A day later, the Secondary Principals’ Association responded;
A proposed cut to special education spending in schools would be a disaster, the head of the Secondary Principals’ Association says.
Documents show the government wants to greatly increase its spending on under-5s with special needs, at the expense of spending on school-aged children.
One of the areas it has singled out for urgent review is the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme for children with the most significant special needs, and in particular, the those aged 18 to 21 who use it.
Secondary Principals’ Association president Sandy Pasley said secondary schools would not cope well with a cut.
“We haven’t got enough as it is and to lose some funding from secondary sector would be quite dramatic for schools.
“We understand that it’s good to put it into the early years but not at the expense of students in secondary schools because often the special education needs don’t go away and sometimes they’re exacerbated by adolescence.”
Ms Pasley said the association would try and persuade the government not to go ahead with the proposal, which she said would be a disaster.
Kim Hall from Autism Action told Nine to Noon children under 5-years-old with autism needed more support – but funding for that should not be taken from school-aged children.
Hall made this critical point;
“Some children aren’t diagnosed until they start school or even later, so that means those children already miss out on that vital funding at the start.”
More on that issue in a moment.
Shamefully, the Early Childhood Council seemed willing to be an accomplice to National’s shuffling of scarce funding for vulnerable children. Early Childhood Council CEO, Peter Reynolds, did not hide his enthusiasm;
“On paper it looks good. It’s a shame we’ve got to wait another few months before we start seeing this thing roll out, but we’ll be wanting to work very closely with the ministry to ensure kids who are struggling right now get some sort of relief in the future and their parents get that relief as well.”
Parata justified the money-shuffle, with the usual spin;
“Evidence shows that providing learning support early in a child’s life will have much greater impact. We’re at a proposal stage of the process. Any changes wouldn’t come into effect until March 2017 at the earliest and will be managed incrementally and carefully to ensure ongoing support. What we are looking at, based on a year’s worth of consultation with the sector is, how do we redsign the service going forward, without compromising the service for those currently in it. So there will be a long transition.”
However, it is simply not correct that early detection and support for children – who will only gradually exhibit complex behavioural, intellectual, and other disabilities over time – is possible.
For children on the Autism Spectrum, recognising that a child is presenting may take up to five years, according to the on-line Ministry of Health document, “Does this person have ASD? New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline“;
There are three more common times when individuals are likely to present:
1. between the ages of 1 and 3 years, lack of development in the areas affected by ASD, such as language and play, becomes more obvious
2. between the ages of 5 and 8 years, when increased social and educational demands highlight difficulties
3. in adolescence or adulthood, when social isolation or relationship difficulties result in depression and other comorbid conditions.
The US group, Autism Speaks, points out;
In the United States, the average age of diagnosis with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is around 4 years of age.
All of which is confirmed by the very personal story of “Sally” and her son, “Zack”.
“Zack” – A Personal Story
From a blogpost published on 6 March 2012 (see: Once upon a time there was a solo-mum), on the problem of Minister Paula Bennett cutting the Training Incentive Allowance;
Sally* is 37 and a solo-mother with an 18 year-old (Wayne*) and 11 year (Zack*) old sons.
Sally had Wayne to her first partner, but the relationship did not last because of drug-taking and violent abuse on his part. (Some months after they separated, he committed suicide.) Sally went on to the DPB, raising her newborn son by herself.
Seven years later, Sally met someone else and formed a relationship with him. The relationship went well and she became pregnant (a son, Zack) to her new partner.
As her pregnancy progressed, Sally’s partner seemed to go off the rails, and he increasingly took up drink and drugs with his boozy mates. As Sally said, he “was more into his mates than his family” and she finally threw him out.
Sally was adamant she did not want someone like him as a role-model for her sons. She went back on the DPB and began to examine her options in life.
Eventually, Sally applied for a course at Victoria University for a bachelors degree in early childhood education. She applied for, and got, the Training Incentive Allowance (TIA).
Zack’s father saw his young son a couple of times during his first year as a newborn and infant, but thereafter showed little interest in maintaining contact. He eventually disappeared from Sally and her children’s life. She was on her own to raise her sons – a role she took seriously, and sought no new relationships with men.
Instead, she applied herself to her university course.
Sally says that the TIA helped her immensely, paying her transport, study-costs, fees, and childcare for her sons. She says,
“You could only get the TIA on the DPB, not on the dole, which I thought was unfair.”
After her graduation, Sally followed up with a Masters degree, which took another four years in part-time study. During the final two years of her uni studies, she took up a part-time job. This decreased the amount she received on the DPB, and her part-time job was taxed at the Secondary Tax Rate (her benefit was considered as a “primary job” by the IRD).
Sally took out a student loan for her M.Ed, as WINZ would not pay the Training Incentive Allowance for higher university education.
One could view the “claw back” of her DPB and higher tax-rate on her part-time job as a dis-incentive which penalised Sally, and others in her position, but she persevered. With end-of-year tax refunds, she says it “all squared out” – but she could have done with the extra money through the year.
Sally graduated and got her Masters degree in early childhood education. By this time, Wayne was 14 and Zack, 6. One month later, she found a full time job and replaced the DPB with a good salary. She says that the MA gives her an extra $11,000 per annum.
During her studies and part time job, Sally raised her two sons – one of whom was increasingly “challenging” with Aspergers and ADHD.
(This blogger can confirm that young Zack – whilst a bright, personable child – can also be “a handful”, and was effectively thrown out of his previous school for “disruptive behaviour”.)
Zack’s story was continued in another blogpost on 8 June 2013 (see: When the State fails our children), on the issue of Special Needs Education. I provided more detail on Zack’s circumstances;
Zack is an intelligent, charming, highly curious, young man (12) who requires one-on-one support during his entire school day. Not having that one-on-one support is untenable for both Zack or the school, as he can “flip out” at provocations which other children might not notice.
Zack was expelled from two previous schools for lack of one-on-one support from a teacher-aid.
He was enrolled at his current school with the specific agreement that Zack would be provided full-time, one-on-one support from a dedicated teacher-aid.
It soon become apparent that the Ministery had assigned this teacher-aid (who was doing the best she could under the circumstances) to two children; Zack, and another child at another school.
Not being able to violate given laws of physics by being in two places simultaneously, the school took action to cut down Zack’s hours in class. He was permitted to attend class only when the teacher aid was present (approx 4 hours per day). When she left to attend her second client, Zack’s grandmother collected him. (Zack’s mother, Sally, is a solo-mum who works at an early childhood facility.)
Implementation of promises of full support – the current fashionable term is “intensive wraparound support” – by the Ministry of Education have been erratic and never fully implemented. (At the beginning the Ministry was reluctant to offer any support for Zack. They relented only when schools refused to accept him unless there was funding for a teacher-aid.)
Zack’s teacher-aid was funded through the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS). According to the Education Ministry website, ORS is described as;
“Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding is used to provide specialist services and support for students with the very highest needs for special education.
ORS helps students join in and learn alongside other students at school. Any student who meets the ORS criteria is included in the scheme.”
For Zack, ORS provided;
“teacher aides to support teachers to include students in class programmes and activities”
Without a teacher’s aide present, Zack was easily distracted or could become stressed and angry at the usual background classroom noise, chatter, and other stimuli which other children mostly never notice. The consequence almost always resulted in an outburst from Zack and disruption of the class.
Without support from a teacher aide, funded by ORS, Zack’s education would have been limited and no school would have enrolled him. He would have had to be home-schooled by his mother who would have had to quit her job and return to the Domestic Purposes Benefit. Even that form of home-schooling would have had limited success, as Sally found it increasingly difficult to manage her son.
With minimal education and an Aspergers-personality, Zack’s future prospects would have been grim.
Zack’s fascination with fire resulted in coming to the attention of Police (though this aspect of his behaviour has improved considerably in the last few years). The local community police constable played an outstanding and sympathetic role in helping Zack move past this dangerous obsession.
Zack’s Aspergers condition was not identified until later in his childhood, as this interview with Sally revealed;
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Frank: “Kia ora Sally.
You’ve heard of government proposals to shift funding for Special Needs programmes from schools to pre-schools. As someone who works in Early Childhood Education, and with a teenage son with Aspergers, you have a foot in both camps. What are your views on this?”
Sally: “Rather than a ‘shift’ I think there needs to be an increase across the board. There are big gaps in funding meaning many children miss out on funding and thus the extra help that could benefit their education greatly.”
Frank: “At what age was Zack diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum?”
Sally: “He was 4 when we first wondered. By 5 or 6 he was considered to have aspects. I think he was about 8 or 9 when he was officially classified as having Asperger Syndrome.”
Frank: “So funding for pre-school Special Needs children would not have met Zack’s needs?”
Sally: “It wouldn’t have been available because [his] ‘needs’ at that age wouldn’t have met the requirements for funding.”
Frank: “So in effect, that would have left him ‘stranded’, without any government-funded support?”
Sally: “Yes.”
Frank: “Without funding for Zack’s teacher aide, would Zack have been able to cope at school? He was asked to leave one school at least, wasn’t he?”
Sally: “He didn’t and doesn’t cope without extra teacher aide support. The funding for anyone not considered ‘high needs’ is non-existant. He only ever received funding when, because he wasn’t coping, his behaviour was out of control. Then when the extra support helped and his behaviour went down, funding and thus support was taken away and then his behaviour became an issue. ‘Asked to leave’. That’s a nice way to put it. Yes he left two schools because without funding and support they couldn’t deal with him. Although in all fairness I need to point out that the first of those schools didn’t try to work with him in appropriate ways and didn’t have a positive attitude towards children with special needs.”
Frank: “So if Zack was unable to cope at schools, without funding for support through a teacher’s aide, what would have happened to his education opportunities?”
Sally: “Not ‘would have’ but ‘has’. He is years behind academically and is struggling to gain credits for NCEA Level One. This is partly due to the several years at primary school where he didn’t learn a lot due to no funding or support and being in a highly emotional and behavioural state. It is also because of what workload he can cope with though. He will do Level One NCEA over three years so he can cope.”
Frank: “Would you have been able to carry on working in your own career if Zack had been forced through circumstances beyond his control, to stay home and be home-schooled?”
Sally: “No. I would have ended up back on the DPB. Luckily he ended up in a wonderful Intermediate for his last year there and then a great college that, even without extra funding, has an amazing learning support system. He doesn’t have teacher aides though because he gets no funding and that would help immensely, especially with English.”
Frank: “Without funding for a teacher’s aide, what do you believe would have been the outcome for his development?”
Sally: “The only teacher aide funding he ever got was in primary when his behaviour was out of control. If that had not been available he wouldn’t have been able to be supported to cope in class. The outcome of him not getting funding for a teacher aide in terms of his learning for all these years is he has learnt things a lot slower than he could of and he is still struggling to understand a lot of the curriculum.”
Frank: “Without funding for support for other children with Special needs at schools and secondary schools, what do you foresee as the outcome?”
Sally: “Schools being under even more pressure to help children without the funding or resources they need. The already limited resources being stretched to breaking point. An increasing number of children who leave school without the education they deserve or need to be active members of society. An increasing burden on the welfare system to support these adults that weren’t supported as children.
Plus an increased burden on the criminal system because without a good job people are more likely to steal to survive.”
Frank: “What do you say to Education Minister Hekia Parata’s proposals to cut Special Needs funding for schools and shifting the money to pre-schools?”
Sally: “Hekia, heck no! Funding needs to be increased across the board. While it is true that in ECE there needs to be increased funding for children with special needs and that the early years are the most important in terms of development, children still need support throughout their school lives.”
Frank: “Finally, how is Zack these days?”
Sally: “Struggling academically but he is at a very supportive school who are tailoring their approach to his learning to suit him. He no longer has extreme behaviour at school, partly because he is older but also because of the positive school environment he is in.”
Frank: “Thank you, Sally. All the best to you and your sons.”
Sally: “All good.”
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Conclusion
National has come up with many “reforms”, proposals, policies, and ideas that eventually fail, or create unforeseen (or often foreseen; pre-warned; and ignored) problems.
On this occasion, the proposal to increase spending for under-fives children with special needs, at the expense of older children, is short-sighted madness that beggars belief.
There is simply no sensible rationale for this ill-considered, incoherent policy. If there is scientific backing, Parata is yet to release it to the media and public.
Parata is playing god with the lives of vulnerable children – children who are often unable to cope in a classroom-environment without constant “wraparound” support.
Taking money from children who can barely cope is simply beyond any measure of comprehension.
Is Parata so badly advised by her officials that she cannot understand the consequences of cutting support for children with special needs?
Is Parata’s Ministry so cash-strapped that she even considers taking funding from those who need it the most?
Children with special needs are highly vulnerable, facing considerable difficulties, with many lacking simple coping mechanisms. They live stressed, difficult lives that most New Zealanders are unaware of. They have started life several steps behind their peers. They are running, just to barely keep up.
If Parata is willing to undermine what little support these children receive, then she is a damaged person lacking in any measure of human empathy. I hold her in utter contempt.
Parata must resign.
* Sally and her son’s names have been changed to protect their privacy.
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References
Radio NZ: Govt promises to overhaul special education
Radio NZ: Children with disabilities missing out as education funding falls short
Radio NZ: Govt to phase out ‘special needs’
Radio NZ: Secondary principals fear special education ‘disaster’
Autism Speaks: Hunting for Autism’s Earliest Clues
Ministry of Education: Overview of Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS)
Ministry of Health: Does this person have ASD? New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline
Other Blogs
How Melulater Sees It: Special Education – Let’s Change the Name and Solve Everything!!
How Melulater Sees It: Where are those wrap around services, Hekia?
Public Address: Some aspects of New Zealand’s disability history – part one (Nov, 2014)
Public Address: Some aspects of New Zealand’s disability history – part two (Dec, 2014)
Public Address: Some aspects of New Zealand’s disability history ‒ part three (Feb, 2015)
The Daily Blog: Martyn Bradbury – Removing the word ‘special needs’ so you don’t have to fund ‘special needs’
Previous related blogposts
Why Hekia Parata should not be sacked
When the State fails our children
National’s prioritises Education needs
Once upon a time there was a solo-mum
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1995 Tom Scott Cartoon featuring Minister of Education Lockwood Smith and three children with special needs. Ref: H-242-020 Turnbull Library (Acknowledgement: Public Address Blog)
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This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 27 August 2016.
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Hekia Parata breaks law – ignores Official Information Act
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A formal complaint has been laid with the Ombudsman’s Office after Education Minister, Hekia Parata, failed to comply with the Official Information Act.
A OIA request was lodged with the Minister’s Office by this blogger, seeking details of National’s Food In Schools programme, which was announced in May 2013. The limited programme, costed at $9.5 million, offered low decile 1-4 schools free milk and Weet-Bix throughout the school week. It would be run in conjunction with Fonterra, Sanitarium and children’s charity KidsCan.
The $9.5 million would be spread over a five year period, from 2013 to 2018.
More critically for National, the expanded “Kick Start” breakfast programme was promoted to directly counter Hone Harawira’s more comprehensive Education (Breakfast and Lunch Programmes in Schools) Amendment Bill which at the time was rapidly gaining traction throughout the country.
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Acknowledgement: Radio NZ
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Mana Party leader and then-MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Hone Harawira, said on 24 January, 2013;
“It’s a pretty simple bill really. Invest in making sure the 80,000 kids going to school hungry each week are fed and ready to learn and realise the benefits in better educated and healthier school leavers down the track”.
In Parliament, Harawira was clear on the benefits of his Food in Schools Bill;
It is nice to know that KidsCan feeds some 10,000 of them on most days, and that the KickStart Breakfast programme feeds about 12,000 a day, but the reality is that even with the Government’s announcement in last year’s Budget, nearly 80,000 children are still going to school hungry in Aotearoa every single day. Yes, schools around the country have started their own breakfast clubs with support from teachers, students, parents, local businesses, and the wider community, but they tell us that it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of goodwill to keep them going, and that having secure funding would be a godsend.
The really embarrassing thing is that nearly every country in the OECD, apart from us, already runs programmes to feed kids at school. Some countries like Finland and Sweden provide fully State-funded meals to every school student as part of a wider framework of child well-being. It is a commitment that sees them regularly top the international surveys in child health and educational achievement. Some countries provide free meals to kids with parents on low incomes, and others provide free meals to schools in areas of high deprivation. But although the approaches differ, they all share the same view, backed up by the same kind of research and information from teachers, doctors, nurses, and policy analysts that is available to us here: kids need a good feed every day if they are to develop into healthy and well-educated adults. New Zealand really needs to join the rest of the enlightened world and make a commitment to feeding our kids, starting with those in greatest need, to help them to grow well and learn well.
Harawira’s Bill was supported by a range of diverse groups and individuals ranging from Jamie Oliver’s Food Foundation, the NZ Educational Institute, as well as Child Poverty Action Group, Every Child Counts, Unicef NZ, Save the Children, IHC, Poverty Action Waikato, the Methodist and Anglican Churches (Methodist Public Issues and Anglican Action), Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora (Māori Women’s Welfare League), PPTA, NZ Principals’ Federation, CTU Rūnanga, the NZ Nurses’ Organisation, and Te Ora – the Māori Medical Practitioners’ Association.
Harawira’s Bill was estimated to cost upwards of $100 million.
This contrasts with the Children Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty, which reported in December 2012 that the total economic costs of child poverty ranged up to $8 billion;
Currently, the economic costs of child poverty are in the range of $6-8 billion per year
and considerable sums of public money are spent annually on remedial interventions. Failure
to alleviate child poverty now will damage the nation’s long-term prosperity. It will also
undermine the achievement of other important policy priorities, such as reducing child abuse,
lifting educational attainment and improving skill levels.
In July 2013, Herald journalist, Kate Shuttleworth, reported;
In December 2012 the Expert Advisory Group on solutions to Child Poverty – a group comprising policy, public health and law experts – recommended that a food programme starting with decile 1-to-4 primary and intermediate schools, be implemented as one of their six initial priorities for immediate release.
[…]
Figures show 270,000 children in New Zealand – one in four – live in poverty.
Dennis McKinlay, Chairman of ‘Every Child Counts‘, stated that 169 countries had a food in schools programme.
Shockingly, the Bill was eventually defeated in a Parliamentary vote of 61 votes to 59, with ACT and Peter Dunne also voting against it. The New Zealand government spends billions on school infra-structure, but not to feed hungry school-children from poverty-stricken families.
On 27 October, this blogger lodged a OIA request with Education minister, Hekia Parata. The request sought answers to the following;
1. How much has been spent on the programme since 28 May 2013?
2. Is the funding still set at $9.5 million, over a 5 year period from 2013 to 2018?
3. How many schools are part of the programme?
4. It was initially available in decile 1 to decile 4 schools. Higher decile schools would be able to opt in from 2014. How many other, higher decile schools have opted into the programme?
5. Are there any figures as to how many children are participating in the programme? If so, what is that data?6. Is there a time limit as to the length of time a school can participate in the programme?
7. Have any schools been declined participation in the programme? How many? For what reason?
8. Are Sanitarium and dairy cooperative Fonterra still participating in the programme? Have any other companies joined in?
9. Does the KickStart programme in any way affect a schools allocated budget?
10. Have any Charter Schools requested to join the programme? If so, how does this affect their funding?
By 12 November, after no response or even an acknowledgement, this blogger wrote again to Minister Parata;
On 27 October, I lodged this OIA request with your office. I have recieved no reply or even an acknowledgement.
Please advice whether or not you intend to respond to my OIA request. If not, I will proceed by laying a complaint with the Ombudsman’s Office.
As at 29 November, no response had been forthcoming from the Minister’s office, and a complaint was laid with the Ombudsman’s Office. As this blogger pointer out in the complaint;
I do not believe it is satisfactory that a Minister of the Crown wilfully ignores the law and fails to follow her obligations under the Official Information Act.
Readers of The Daily Blog will be kept updated as this issue progresses.
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Addendum1
Parata has apparently “gone to ground” on this issue. It is not the first time she failed failed to respond to media enquiries; requests for interviews; or fronted at events for which she has direct responsibility.
From a blogpost published on 18 January 2013;
Muppet #1 – Hekia Parata
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“I actually think she’s a very effective communicator; in fact if you look at her history in politics, she’s been one of the smoothest communicators we’ve actually had.” – John Key, 18 January 2013
See: Parata safe in her job – Key
Prime Minister John Key says Education Minister Hekia Parata will be safe in an upcoming Cabinet reshuffle, … because she is hugely talented and one of National’s best communicators.
See: Parata’s job safe in shuffle
*snort!*
I’d be a happy chappy if the Nats DID have more like her in Cabinet!!
If she’s one of the Nat’s “best communicators”, I’d luv to know why she’s kept ducking calls for media interviews and instead sent Lesley Longstone to cover for Parata’s f**k-ups,
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2 October 2012
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3 October 2012
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4 October 2012
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26 October 2012
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29 October 2013
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14 November 2012
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28 November 2012
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When Lesley Longstone’s resignation was announced last year on 19 December, Hekia Parata was still nowhere to be seen. The announcement was handled by State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie (see: Education secretary quits),
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19 December 2012
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20 December 2012
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Parata’s office explained why she couldn’t front,
Parata is currently on holiday and has refused to front on Longstone’s resignation, but in a statement released this afternoon she thanked Longstone for her efforts in leading the Ministry.
See: Education Ministry boss quits after ‘strained relationship’
Hmmmm, judging by Parata not fronting for most of last year, was she on holiday for most of 2012?!
“Smooth communicator…”!?
Ye gods, this deserves a Tui billboard.
Roll on 2013 – it’s going to be a great year.
Addendum2
In January 2013, Hekia Parata’s responsibilities surrounding Novopay were transferred to Minister For Everything, Steven Joyce. Joyce was not above publicly denouncing those responsible for the Novopay debacle;
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References
Radio NZ: Food in schools ‘could get good results’
Feedthekids: Support grows for MANA’s Feed the Kids Bill
Parliament: Harawira, Hone: Education (Breakfast and Lunch Programmes in Schools) Amendment Bill — First Reading
Feedthekids: Feed the Kids Bill a “good initiative” – Jamie Oliver Food Foundation
NZEI: Food in schools bill will help children learn
NZ Herald: Food in schools bill delayed for second time
Commissioner for Children: Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty
NZ Herald: Head boy disappointed in Dunne over food bill
ODT: Joyce to take on handling of Novopay
Radio NZ: Government sticking with Novopay for now
Previous related blogposts
Parata, Bennett, and Collins – what have they been up to?
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This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 1 December 2015.
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National MPs – giving us the finger in election year
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National MPs and ministers have been busy this year with more botch-ups, scandals, an attempted smear campaign, and spinning bullshit to cover their arses with multiple policy failures in health, education, the environment, child poverty, etc, etc, etc…
The fact that National still appears to be riding high in political polls speaks more for a population heavily sedated by trivia and superficial “news” reporting, and for mind-numbingly inane mass-entertainment – rather than any actual success.
Some of the more mind-blowing comments that have recently been made by National ministers have flown below the radar.
Amy Adams
Our so-called “Environment” Minister, Amy Adams, recently dismissed Dr Mike Joy’s criticisms of National’s new water standards.
But Dr Mike Joy, an environmental ecologist at Massey university, says the new standards are a “backwards step for fresh water”.
“You could just drive a truck through it,” he told TVNZ’s Breakfast programme.
“There’s so many gaps, so many things we’ve been measuring up until now that they’ve dropped.”
The changes put limits on the amount of toxins and bacteria that can be present in water, which the Government says will require some communities and farms to improve their waste-disposal systems.
But the weakening of other limits were essentially a “licence to pollute,” Joy said, and would allow for a big increase in the amount of pollution in rivers.
“We’ve got a decline going on,” he said.
“Rivers are getting worse, lakes are getting worse. This should be something that puts the brakes on, but instead it’s an opening-up. It’s like lifting the speed limit from 50kmh to 500kmh – that’s the kind of level of change around nitrate pollution.”
Joy said more than 90 per cent of rivers in lowland areas – those coming from urban areas and farms – were already too dangerous to swim in.
To which Adams responded;
Ms Adams also corrected the Green Party’s and Dr Joy’s comparison of nitrogen levels in New Zealand’s lakes and rivers to those in the Yangtzee River.
“Although the Yangtze River indeed has serious pollution issues, nitrogen is not the core pollutant there.
In fact, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the primary issue for the Yangtze River is industrial and sewage waste and the management of sediments, rather than nitrogen.”
What the World Wide Fund for Nature (which Adams mis-quoted) really stated was;
“The major pollutants in the Yangtze mainstem are suspended substances, oxidizing organic and inorganic compounds, and ammonia nitrogen. This has severely reduced drinking water quality and contributed to dramatic eutrophication.”
And from the Science Daily;
“For the first time, a team including foreign scientists was authorized by the Chinese government to study water quality on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River…
[…]
For example, nitrogen concentrations have approximately doubled over the past 20 years. In Shanghai, concentrations of dissolved nitrogen were twice as high as at the Three Gorges Dam, reflecting the increasing use of mineral fertilizers in agriculture…
[…]
However, where the river enters the East China Sea, the huge pollutant loads are expected to have devastating effects: each day, 1500 tonnes of nitrogen is discharged, causing eutrophication and growth of blue-green algae in the coastal waters…
[…]
In the Yangtze, concentrations of nitrogen, metals and organic compounds are increasing, as shown by comparisons with earlier measurements in the literature.“
As usual with right-wingers, it pays to check their “facts”. They’re usually bullshit. (As well as batshit crazy.)
Dr Mike Joy – 1
Amy Adams – 0
Paula Bennett
Bennett seems not to know where she stands on the problem of New Zealand’s hidden rape culture.
On 10 July, on TV3’s Third Degree, Bennett accepted the reality of our rape culture;
“And you can see it in the language that is used by some people. You can certainly see it in pretty much a pub or a nightclub in New Zealand on most weekends to be quite frank. So we have a lot of education to do there, I think.”
Two days later, she changed her mind, this time on TV3’s The Nation;
“I wouldn’t say that we’ve got a rape culture or a sexual violence culture in New Zealand…
[…]
I think what we do in New Zealand is we report more [sexual violence] than any other country. So actually some of those that are being reported are incidences that haven’t even led to violence.”
On 10 July, on Third Degree, Bennett accepted that her government had failed Tania Billingsley;
“Could things have been handled differently? We’re the first ones that have said yes it should have been. But for her I feel incredibly sad that the incident has happened in the beginning. And that’s where most of her hurt and anger is.”
Again, after two days, Bennett’s views seemed to have changed, as this exchange on The Nation showed;
Lisa Owen: “Ok, so how do you think that your male colleagues handled the alleged assault on Tania Billingsley and the departure of the Malaysian diplomat? Did they lose sight of the victim? Did they trivialise that?”
Paula Bennett: “Well look I’m not prepared to go into what has happened in that case. But my short answer to that would be no.”
Paula Bennett (2.0)
On TV’s The Nation, Lisa Owen took Paula Bennett to task on our growing endemic rate of child poverty. Owen pointed out to Bennett;
“…people like Jonathan Boston say that eradicating poverty is a political choice. Is it just that you’re not making a big enough political choice? A billion dollars, an extra billion dollars a year he said will make an enormous dent in this.”
Because, as we all know, “throwing money” at the poorest in our society apparently doesn’t work to pull children out of poverty.
But “throwing money” at corporations such as Rio Tinto, Warner Bros, Charter Schools, et al, to “create jobs” or give “choice for better education” to parents, does work.
Or “throwing money” at people by way of tax cuts works to “stimulate the economy“.
Strangely, “throwing money” at welfare beneficiaries – by way of a Training Incentive Allowance – helped former solo-mother, Paula Bennett, obtain a free tertiary education and she is currently (until 20 September) a highly-remunerated Minister of the Crown.
So why is “throwing money” by way of corporate welfare; tax-cuts; Charter school subsidies, etc, a ‘good‘ thing – but “throwing money” at poverty to eliminate this scourge from 21st century New Zealand – is a ‘bad‘ thing?!
National ministers have yet to answer this question.
God knows we “throw enough money” at them with their generous salaries.
Simon Bridges
This was one of National’s election platforms in 2011;
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“Staying strong on crime“.
Except when National decides that a particular law is “inconvenient”. Then it will instruct it’s ministeries not to prosecute offenders. As Minister Simon Bridges recently instructed the Labour Inspectorate;
Radio New Zealand has obtained documents under the Official Information Act which show the Labour Inspectorate has moved away from the proactive approach to enforcement and has redistributed its efforts to crack down on illegial migrant workers.
Traditionally labour inspectors have been out on the streets at Easter, catching out shop owners who open illegally, but will now wait for members of the public to complain about shops being open and will follow those up with warning letters.
Special briefing notes from the Labour Inspectorate General Manager George Mason to the minister show the inspectorate has questioned the effectiveness of the shop trading act, which allows for a $1,000 penalty for breaches of the law.
In many cases the judicial system was reluctant to impose the maximum fine, Mr Mason told the minister.
He said in recent years not many complaints from the public were received and this year not a single shop was prosecuted for opening at Easter.
[…]
But Simon Bridges said shops can still be prosecuted and will be if the Inspectorate felt it was necessary.
The law will be upheld – if the Inspectorate felt it was necessary?!
When a government will not uphold the law because it conflicts with their own ideological stance – then why have laws at all?
And can the rest of us pick and choose which laws are convenient to uphold, and which we can break?
It appears so…
Mr Bridges is showing us the way.
Murray McCully
After the debacle of the Malaysian diplomat, accused of burglary and attempted rape, and the question over why Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully failed to keep track over events in his own ministry, an inquiry was launched on 11 July.
“A thorough and transparent inquiry is important, as those managing diplomatic immunity issues for the Government need to enjoy the full, unfettered confidence of the New Zealand public.”
Although one wonders just how “ thorough and transparent” any inquiry will be when,
- The terms of reference do not include Murray McCully’s actions. This effectively gives the minister an ‘escape clause’ from the fiasco.
- John Key has already pre-determined who the guilty party is, within the Ministry, when he stated on 4 July; “If that person doesn’t have clarity about that position then they need to think very strongly about whether they’re in the right job.”
- Rob Hosking from the National Business Review suggested that the Inquiry will “not likely to be [completed] before the September 20 election”. How ‘convenient’.
Hekia Parata
On 8 June 2012, as National’s planned to increase class-room sizes blew up in their faces with a combined teacher-parent revolt, I wrote;
Parata’s Plan to cut teaching staff and increase classroom sizes was dressed up as “improving teaching quality and professional leadership” – which was exposed as patent bollocks when she stated,
“The changes to teacher:student funding ratios were to have saved the Government around $174 million over four years, of which $60 million was going to be invested in improving teaching quality and professional leadership.”
Sacking Parata for policies that every other Minister has been implementing seems pointless. Especially when National’s essential policy of cutting expenditure and services would remain unchanged.
That is the real crux of the matter; an ongoing programme of reduction in social services because of two tax cuts we could ill afford, and which National was irresponsible in making.
Two years later: On 7 July, Radio NZ’s Morning Report co-presenter, Susie Ferguson, spoke to National’s accident-prone Hekia Parata and put it to her that Labour’s plans to reduce class-room sizes by 2018 were proving very popular with parents. Ferguson pointed out that Labour’s policy was in direct opposition with Parata’s humiliating failure to increase class-room sizes.
At 3.05 into the interview, Parata replied,
“And at the time we were in a different fiscal environment and we were focusing right then on how did we find the money to invest in quality. And now we’re in a better fiscal environment, we can do both,both more teachers and more quality...”
Which is confirmation, if any was needed, that National’s plans to reduce teacher numbers and increase class-room sizes was nothing more than an outrageous cost-cutting exercise. Happily, it failed as New Zealanders stood up, en masse, and told National,
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New Zealanders were not prepared to sacrifice their children’s learning and future on the alter to National’s cost-cutting. If Key and his cronies were foolish enough to cut taxes as part of their 2008 election bribes, it was most certainly not going to be paid for by the children of the middle classes.
So far, #Teamkey seems to be going ‘swimmingly’ well.
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References
Fairfax media: Water rule changes seen as ‘licence to pollute’
World Wildlife Fund: Threat of Pollution in the Yangtze
Science Daily: First-ever Precise Data On Yangtze Water Quality
TV3: Minister agrees with diplomat’s alleged victim
TV3: The Nation Interview – Paula Bennett (transcript)
NBR: Bennett cutting a benefit that helped her – Labour
NZ Herald: PM defends $30m payout to Rio Tinto
Scoop media: Warner Brothers Hobbit Deal a $67 Milllion Farce
NZ Herald: Editorial – Charter schools will give poorer parents choice
Beehive.govt.nz: Government delivers April 1 tax cuts, SME changes
Radio NZ: Govt defends trading law enforcement
Dominion Post: Malaysian diplomat case inquiry head named
NZ Herald: Diplomat case: Court file released
TV3: Ministerial inquiry launched into diplomat case
Interest.co.nz: Key suggests mid-level MFAT diplomat “considers career options”
NBR: McCully announces inquiry into MFAT’s handling of Malaysian diplomat allegations
Scoop media: Teacher funding ratios to remain the same
Radio NZ: Listen Hekia Parata on Morning Report
Radio NZ: Labour pledges to reduce class sizes
Previous related blogposts
Why Hekia Parata should not be sacked
Hypocrisy – thy name be National
Hon. Paula Bennett, Minister of Hypocrisy
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Above image acknowledgment: Francis Owen/Lurch Left Memes
This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 13 July 2014.
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Review: TV3′s The Nation – When current affairs gets it right
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After my uncompromising critique of an episode of TV’s The Nation, broadcast on 24 May, I was gratified and relieved that the producers and hosts of the programme had returned to a degree of journalistic/media professionalism that we should expect as the norm for current affairs in this country (and which is too often lacking).
The Nation, broadcast on 14 June, was good, solid, current affairs which left the viewer better informed after watching it. Hosts Lisa Owen and Patrick Gower, and reporter Torben Akel, were on form with their respective interviews.
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Hosts for TV3’s “The Nation”, Lisa Owen and Patrick Gower
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First up; Hekia Parata, on what is rapidly devolving into another of National’s disastrous, ill-considered attempts to insert neo-liberal “reforms” into our education sector. National’s $359 million so-called “Teaching & leadership career pathways” has been roundly condemned by the primary school staff union, NZEI, and the Principals Federation asserting that it is unacceptable and unworkable.
Parata responded to questioning from Patrick Gower;
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[FULL TRANSCRIPT: Hekia Parata]
A decidedly ‘robotic’ performance from an automaton-like Hekia Parata. (Have National Party strategists and contract scientists actually built a look-a-like android replacement replacement for Parata, to minimise potential stuff-ups from the mishap-prone education minister? And how did they make the android more realistic than the original?!)
Whether she actually convinced teachers and parents watching her performance is doubtful. When politicians avoid giving direct answers to questions, the inescapable conclusion is that they’re hiding something.
What is Parata hiding?
Perhaps the very real likelihood that the so-called “Teaching & leadership career pathways” policy is National attempt to introduce performance-pay-by-stealth?
In fact, my money is precisely on that call: performance-pay-by-stealth.
At any rate, she stayed on-message, and it was fairly obvious that Parata had been well-schooled by her tax-payer funded media-minders. She passed National’s Standard for evasiveness to questions.
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Next up, a serious look at one of this country’s worst pressing social problems – child poverty. The Right can bleat on about “SkyTV aerials”; ill-informed moralists who lead ‘saintly lives’ can pass judgement on “poor parenting”, and the middle classes can turn a blind eye – but none of that will diminish a growing social crisis in our midst.
Prior to the introduction of neo-liberalism; the “free” market; de-regulation; and “more choices”, the term “child poverty” was unknown. Food banks barely existed, as this 2005 Child Poverty Action Group report pointed out;
There have always been foodbanks in Auckland, but until recently these were small- scale operations and, like the soup kitchens, were there to deal with emergencies and the requirements of the handful of indigents that have always been present in the urban areas of New Zealand. Data from the Presbyterian Support Services Foodlink Directory5 shows there were 16 foodbanks in Auckland in 1989. By 1994 this had mushroomed to over 130 (Mackay, 1995).
Nationally, the number of foodbanks exploded following the 1991 benefit cuts, and the passage of the Employment Contracts Act (ECA). For those in already low-paid and casual jobs, the ECA resulted in even lower wages (McLaughlin, 1998), a situation exacerbated by the high unemployment of the early 1990s (11% in 1991). The benefit cuts left many with debts, and little money to buy food (Downtown Community Ministry, 1999). In 1992 the introduction of market rents for state houses dealt another blow to state tenants on low incomes. By 1994 it was estimated that there were about 365 foodbanks nationally, one-fifth of which had been set up in the previous year (Downtown Community Ministry, 1999). This figure was an estimate, based on information from the 1994 foodbank conference. There were no nationally collated figures, a weakness that persists in the sector today.
Regarding what in some cases was a quadrupling of demand for food parcels after 1991, Mackay cautiously hypothesizes that “it is likely that much of it was driven by the benefit cuts of April 1991” (Mackay, 1995). Foodbank workers themselves were unequivocal that the 1991 benefit cuts were the key driver of increased foodbank use. Reflecting those most likely to be unemployed or on low wages, up to 90% of foodbank users were dependent upon some form of income support, and Maori and Pacific Island families were over- represented among those seeking assistance (Mackay, 1995).
Lisa Owen interviewed Jonathan Boston (Professor of Public Policy at Vic, co-chair of Child Poverty Expert Advisory Group), who has written New Zealand’s first book on Child Poverty in this country. That interview was followed up by Commissioner for Children, Dr Russell Wills.
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L-R: Lisa Owen & Dr Wills; Lisa Owen and Jonathan Boston
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[FULL TRANSCRIPT: Jonathan Boston & Russell Wills]
Both interviews made for compelling, informative viewing.
Dr Wills and Prof Boston are professionals; academics; with a deep understanding of problems and issues confronting our society. Neither men have a political agenda – theirs is simply to inform anyone who will listen that child poverty is a problem we can no longer afford to ignore.
Dr Wills made this simple statement in a level, calm tone – but which was nevertheless dramatic for it’s content;
“My weekend will be full of poor mostly Maori and Pacific preschool children with infectious diseases that our English registrars often haven’t even seen before. Now we see acute rheumatic fever. We see tuberculosis. We have admissions to intensive care with children with illnesses that should have been treated in primary care but they couldn’t afford to go. We just don’t see those kinds of issues in our elderly people and I think that’s a great shame.”
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[FULL TRANSCRIPT: Colin Craig]
Gower started the interview with this bizarre exchange – almost reminiscent of a school Head Master dressing down an errant pupil;
Patrick Gower: I want to start with this extraordinary political cry for help that you made this week, effectively asking the Prime Minister to pull a candidate out of a seat for you.
Colin Craig: I didn’t do that.
Gower: Yes you did.
Craig: No, I didn’t.
I was expecting an impatient, testy, Gower to stand, pick up a nearby cane, and instruct Craig,
Craig, of course, supports beating children, so this scenario would not be entirely implausible. And no one would have blamed Gower in the least.
Gower: So which one of those could you beat? Which one of those three candidates could you beat? And tell the truth.
To which Craig responded;
Craig: Well look, I don’t think I could beat any of them unless we run a fantastic local campaign and people get behind us. Last time I –
Interesting.
Interesting because of what was not said, rather than what was. No outrage over “dirty deals” in this interview, as Mr Gower expressed recently regarding the Mana-Internet alliance;
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And…
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Postscript #1
The parameters “child poverty” nz on Google returns 178,000 results;
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Not exactly something to be proud of, eh, New Zealand?
Postscript #2
It is has been said before and it is worth repeating again; the greatest disservice that TVNZ and TV3 programming managers have done to the viewing public; their own staff; and to their entire network is to ‘ghettoise’ “The Nation” and “Q+A” on early morning and late night time-slots in the weekends.
Maori TV schedules “Native Affairs” on Monday evenings at 8.30pm. This suggests that the management at Maori TV have sufficient faith in their ‘product’ that they are willing to give it a prime time viewing slot.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for TVNZ and TV3.
(And no, we will not settle for “Seven Sharp” or “The Paul Henry Show“.)
Postscript #3
National’s media release on it’s “Teaching & leadership career pathways” was published on it’s on party website; the Beehive website; and on Scoop Media. There’s a slight ‘risk’ in publishing an official party policy communique on an independent website – you never quite know what else is going to appear alongside the text;
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I’m sure Parata, Key, et al in the National Party would be “delirious with joy” at having a political advert for Kim Dotcom’s Internet Party nested within their pride and joy educational policy statement release…
… Not!
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References
Beehive: $359m for teaching & leadership career pathways
Radio NZ: NZEI, principals unite against policy
TV3 The Nation: Interview – Education Minister Hekia Parata
TV3 The Nation: Interview transcript – Education Minister Hekia Parata
Salvation Army: Hard to swallow – Child Poverty Action Group
BWB Books: Child Poverty in New Zealand
TV3 The Nation: Interview – Jonathan Boston & Russell Wills
Wikiquote: Margaret Thatcher
TV3 The Nation: Interview – Conservative Party leader Colin Craig
Twitter: Patrick Gower
TV3 The Nation: The new breed of career MPs
National Party: National Selects Todd Barclay For Clutha-Southland
National Party: $359m for teaching & leadership career pathways
Beehive: $359m for teaching & leadership career pathways
Scoop Media: $359m for teaching & leadership career pathways
Previous related blogposts
Review: TV3′s The Nation – “Let them eat ice cream!”
Patrick Gower – losing his rag and the plot
Doing ‘the business’ with John Key – Here’s How
Additional
Facebook: Inside Child Poverty
Bryan Bruce: How to vote strategically improves children’s lives
Events
Tuesday 17 June, 5.30pm
Panel discussion with Jonathan Boston,
Damon Salesa, Susan St John and Russell Wills. Chaired by Tracey McIntosh.
Fale Pasifika, University of Auckland
26 Wynyard St, Auckland
Thursday 19 June, 8.00am – 4.00pm
Inequality: Causes and Consequences
Student Union Memorial Lecture Theatre
Victoria University of Wellington
Friday 20 June, 5.30pm
Lecture and book launch
Speakers include: Justine Cornwall, Jonathan Boston, and Cathy Wylie
Royal Society of New Zealand
11 Turnbull St, Thorndon, Wellington
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Above image acknowledgment: Francis Owen/Lurch Left Memes
This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 16 June 2014.
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Radio NZ: Politics with Matthew Hooton and Mike Williams – 24 March 2014
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– Politics on Nine To Noon –
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– Monday 24 March 2014 –
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– Kathryn Ryan, with Matthew Hooton & Mike Williams –
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Today on Politics on Nine To Noon,
Will The Mana party and The Internet party form an alliance?
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Click to Listen: Politics with Matthew Hooton and Mike Williams (25′ 54″ )
- Mana Party
- Internet Party
- Hone Harawira
- Kim Dotcom
- The Alliance
- Sue Bradford
- Roy Morgan Poll
- Shane Jones, Winston Peters, NZ First, The Green Parrot Restaurant
- Hekia Parata, Kohanga Reo National Trust, performance pay for teachers
- Ernst Young, Serious Fraud Office, PISA Education Ratings
- Judith Collins, Oravida
- John Key, China, Fran O’Sullivan, Rod Oram
- Labour Party, Forestry policy, Red Stag Timber, government procurement
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Radio NZ: Focus on Politics for 21 March 2014
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– Focus on Politics –
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– Friday 21 March 2014 –
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– Jane Patterson –
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A weekly analysis of significant political issues.
Friday after 6:30pm and Saturday at 5:10pm
The Education Minister has once again found herself at the centre of a political storm, after allegations relating to the Kohanga Trust Board’s commercial arm, have ended up with the Serious Fraud Office.
The question is; when does public money cease to be public?
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Click to listen: Focus on Politics for 21 March 2014 ( 17′ 28″ )
- Hekia Parata, Pita Sharples
- Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board, Te Pataka Ohanga
- Ernst & Young report
- Serious Fraud Office
- Derek Fox
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Good luck to Phillipstown School!
It was almost exactly a month ago that the Ministry of Education – at the behest of this shabby, poor-excuse-for-a-government, announced the closure and “merger” of several schools in Christchurch;
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Acknowledgement: TV3 – Tears, shock as Chch school mergers announced
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Phillipstown School was one of three schools chosen to “merge” with others – in effect another closure.
However, tonight (30 June), Phillipstown School will be following in the footsteps of Salisbury School (see previous blogpost: Why Salisbury School was right to be wary of this government) in refusing to take this threat to their existence lying down. In a press release today, Phillipstown School made it’s position crystal clear,
The Board of Phillipstown School will be filing judicial review proceedings in the Christchurch High Court on Monday. The School is seeking a declaration that the Minister of Education’s decision to close Phillipstown school and merge it with Woolston school from the beginning of 2014 is illegal and in breach of the Education Act 1989.
Acknowledgement: Scoop Media – Phillipstown School launches Judicial Review
As Board of Trustees Chairperson, Wayne West, said on Scoop Media,
“The Minister’s decision appears to be based on mistakes of fact. The statutory consultation required with the School and with the parents of students was also illegal because the officials refused to give us the information needed to respond to claims about the costs of remediating the earthquake damage at the school, and other property related issues. The Minister cited both of these as key reasons for her decision.”
Acknowledgement: IBID
As this blogger has pointed out previously, it seems to be the height of callousness and indifference to the stress and suffering of Christchurch people over the past two years. With two major earthquakes and thousands of aftershocks; damaged infra-structure; disrupted services; closed or struggling businesses; and the heart of the city all but destroyed – National Ministers seem content to add human-imposed misery upon Cantabrians.
This is the worst possible time to be “rationalising” any public service in that city.
I believe that National will suffer badly in the next election if they persevere with their appallingly-concocted plans.
This blogger supports schools in Christchurch; the staff; the parents, and children, to help preserve their already stressed communities. They deserve support and assistance – not further under-mining of public services.
I hope their request for a Judicial Review is successful.
And I hope that National MPs in the Canterbury electorates receive the full opprobrium of voters, at the next election, for their shameful conduct. Perhaps it is time for Cantabrians to send a “seismic political shock” to this government?
Good luck, Phillipstown School!
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Previous related blogposts
Four schools to close in Aranui, Christchurch
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Why Salisbury School was right to be wary of this government
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Background
It was on 31 October last year that Education Minister, Hekia Parata, announced her decision to close both Salisbury School in Nelson and McKenzie Residential School in Christchurch. Both were schools specialising in support high-needs children with varying degrees of disabilities. Parata said,
“After carefully considering all the information provided to me, including the responses from the schools, and information provided at my meetings with the Boards of the schools, I have decided to close the two schools.
At the very heart of this difficult decision lies the opportunity to provide services and support for more children with complex needs in their local community. We can link local services with the remaining residential provision to achieve a more personalised and high quality approach for children and their families.
I am satisfied that this combination of services will make sufficient provision for all children with special education needs both locally and nationally.”
Acknowledgment – Beehive – Final decision on residential special schools announced
In an attempt to alleviate shock and disbelief throughout the country, Parata offered an alternative – a so-call “Intensive Wraparound Service“,
“The Intensive Wraparound Service will be extended to support students with complex needs to remain in their community and attend their local school. The service will be based in every region with a trained facilitator, usually a psychologist…
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… Funding from closing the two residential schools will be redirected into the Intensive Wraparound Service. The net result will be better support for more students and keeping communities together.”
Acknowledgment – IBID
The parents and staff of Salisbury students would have none of it. Parata’s decision to close the school and merge with co-ed Halswell Residential School in Christchurch. Female students would be relocated to mix with male students.
The implications of such a move did not escape parents and teaches. They realised that mixing highly vulnerable girls – many with considerable mental disabilities – with boys and adolecent young teenagers, was a potential for disaster. There was grave risk of sexual abuse, amongst other problems (I refuse to call them “issues”.)
Salisbury school and parents rejected the planned closure.
On 26 November last year, Salisbury school mounted a legal challenge to Parata’s decision.
By 11 December, a Court decision ruled that National’s move to close the school was unlawful. Justice Robert Dobson condemned Parata’s descision because of “the prospect of greater risk of sexual or physical abuse“.
On 22 May, this year, Parata had fully backed down and announced that her Ministry would not be appealing the Court decision. Parata gave this gobbledegook statement to the media,
‘‘The arguments that we were making at the time were valid and remain valid, but a different decision has now been made, and I am pleased for Salisbury that that is the case, and keen now to resume normal transmission.’’
Acknowledgment – Nelson Mail – U-turn stuns, delights Salisbury
Salisbury School won the battle, with Courts accepting that female students would be put at risk by attending a co-ed school.
One also had to question the reality of any so-called “Intensive Wraparound Service” that Parata had promised.
Intensive Wraparound Service
In a May 2012 Ministry of Education report (Development of a new intensive wraparound special education), the author wrote,
Two Residential Special Schools also provide an outreach service4. Salisbury’s service caters for a minimum of 30 students, while Halswell School caters to a maximum of 36 students.
Figures from 2010 show the Government invested approximately $84,200 in each student who attended a Residential Special School in the year.
This figure contrasts with an annual investment of approximately $7,700 in each student who attends a state and integrated (or non-residential) school or approximately $29,000 for each student who meets the criteria to receive support through an intensive wrap-around service.
Note the figures mentioned;
Residential School Student: $84,200 per student
State/Integrated School Student: $7,700 per student
Intensive wrap-around service Student: $29,000 per student
So by relocating special needs students from Salisbury to a mainstream school, with so-called “Intensive wrap-around” support, there was a saving to the State of $55,200 per student.
It is not beyond suspicion that the attempted closure of Salisbury School; with attendent risk to female students; was a particularly nasty attempt at cost-cutting by this bottom-line focused government.
Indeed, more than a suspicion, the report clearly stated,
It is important to note the new service:
– provides an opportunity to use existing funding in new ways, achieving better value for money and more efficient use of resources
This government appears to be content to play with peoples’ lives to save a few bucks.
Current Issues
Later in May this year, there were revelations that several Whangarei schools were unable to cope with severely disturbed – and violent – young students. Radio NZ reported,
A Whangarei school principal says a system designed to improve support for at-risk children appears to be bogged down in paperwork.
The Gateway programme began two years ago to co-ordinate the roles of Child, Youth and Family, doctors, schools and mental health services for children in care.
But Horahora primary school principal Pat Newman said from what he has seen, the gateway is blocked.
He said he has been trying since March to get an assessment for a young pupil with serious anger problems who hurts other children on a daily basis.
Mr Newman said various agencies have filed their observations about the boy and though he clearly needs specialist help, there has been no action. Now his classmates are afraid of him and have begun to exclude him.
Child, Youth and Family said it understood the boy was doing well at school, but if his Gateway assessment throws up other issues it will address them.
The head of another school, who has asked not be named to protect the identity of children, said disturbed new entrants are increasingly common, and he has had a teacher close to leaving because of their appalling behaviour.
In the worst case, he said a boy was not only violent to teachers and children, his behaviours were also sexualised.
The principal said the boy would leave the school whenever he felt like it and had to be watched and tracked constantly to keep him safe.
Acknowledgment – Radio NZ – Paper-work seen as blocking support for children
A further Radio NZ report stated,
Northland primary school principals say they are seeing growing numbers of violent new entrants and getting less support to deal with them.
Three Whangarei primary school principals have complained about a lack of support for new entrants with serious psychological problems.
Another principal in Northland says research is urgently needed on the growing numbers of violent and unmanageable children entering the school system.
Principals said they are having to beg for specialist help and teacher aides while the Government spends $60 million on a behavioural management programme for teachers.
Tai Tokerau Principals’ Association vice-president Marilyn Dunn said there has been an influx of new entrants to Northland schools raised in homes where they have seen violence, methamphetamine and alcohol abuse since they were born.
Ms Dunn said such children are often aggressive and need the help of a teacher aide for prolonged periods to keep them and others safe.
She said the Government’s new Positive Behaviour for Learning programme for teachers does not provide for this and schools need far more specialised help.
Acknowledgment – Radio NZ – Teachers having to cope with more violent new entrants
The same report added,
But the Ministry of Education on Monday defended the level of support available to schools dealing with violent or disturbed children.
The ministry said its special education teams are working with between 3000 and 4000 pupils throughout New Zealand who exhibit particularly challenging behaviour. It said the teacher aide budget in Northland is unchanged.
However principals say in practice, that amounts to a funding cut – because they are dealing with growing numbers of damaged children and there is now less funding to go around.
Acknowledgment – IBID
And as usual, Key admitted he didn’t know if there been an increase in violent cases in Whangarei.
Another report also questioned how much community support was being given to vulnerable people with psychiatric conditions,
The brother of a man killed by a mentally ill former flatmate says not enough is being done to care for mental health patients living in the community – often with tragic results.
Cambridge man Graeme Moyle’s older brother, Colin Moyle, was bludgeoned to death in his Auckland home by psychiatric patient Matthew Ahlquist in May 2007.
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“I believe not enough resources are available to care for mental health patients in the community, especially at the higher end. The reason many are on the street is because there’s not enough beds for them and there’s nowhere to put them.”
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“Whilst we endeavour to provide the best possible care to service users, we are mindful that despite our best intentions, in any organisation as large and complex as ours, there will be times where things don’t go to plan,” Ms Jenkin said. “In such situations we will generally formally report serious incidents and undertake a service review to understand what went wrong, and why, in order to improve the services that we provide to those that need them.”
In the 1990s, New Zealand went through a period of de-instutionalisation. Patients from mental health hospitals and other institutions were relocated back into the community. The Bolger-led National government of the day assured the public that as institutions were emptied, resourcing and funding would follow.
The opposite seemed to happen and many ex-patients ended up in living in squalor or out on the streets. One well known case in the 1990s involved a female ex-psychiatric patient who slept in public toilets; gathered cigarettes butts from gutters; and was at considerable personal risk. She seemed to have no support or safety network whatsoever.
The plaintive cries from Whangarei principals for more support suggests that funding for high needs students is severely lacking.
Promises of support for disturbed students are not materialising into actual funding.
This blogger is personally aware of one solo-mother who has a son with high-functioning autism. The young lad, 12, has recently come to the attention of emergency services (police and fire brigades) with his extreme behaviour.
He requires full-time support from a teacher aid – but is receiving only half the hours that should be allocated to him.
I know this kid. He’s a good sort. With full support he could become a stable, productive member of society.
Without support, and allowed to go “off the rails”, he will end up in prison.
Cost to tax-payer: $95,000+ per annum.
The staff, management, and parents of Salisbury school students were correct to fight this government. Their fears that Parata and other National Ministers were offering hollow reassurances of “Intensive wrap-around” services was well-founded.
If we’ve learned anything these last five years it is this; What National giveth; National taketh.
The parents of Salisbury School students were not about to put this matter to the test, nor put the well-being of their daughters into the ‘caring’ hands of Hekia Parata, Bill English, et al.
“Wraparound”?
I don’t think so.
Not this Weetbix government.
This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 31 May 2013.
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References
Ministry of Education: Development of a new intensive wraparound special education (PDF) (May 2012)
Beehive: Final decision on residential special schools announced (31 Oct 2012)
Nelson Mail: Salisbury School mounts legal bid (26 Nov 2012)
TVNZ: Special needs school closure declared unlawful (11 Dec 2012)
Nelson Mail: U-turn stuns, delights Salisbury (22 May 2013)
Radio NZ: Paper-work seen as blocking support for children (27 May 2013)
Radio NZ: Principals frustrated with ‘gateway’ programme (audio – 27 May 2013)
Radio NZ: Childrens’ charities struggle to secure funding (audio – 27 May 2013)
Radio NZ: Teachers having to cope with more violent new entrants (27 May 2013)
Fairfax Media: ‘Too little resourcing’ for mentally unwell (29 May 2013)
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Four schools to close in Aranui, Christchurch
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Hekia Parata has announced the closure (“merger”) of four schools in Aranui, Christurch,
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Acknowledgment: NZ Herald – Four Christchurch schools to close
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By sheer coincidence (?), all four schools happen to be situated in the electorate of Christchurch East.
Christchurch East is a Labour seat, currently held by Labour MP, Lianne Dalziel,
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Acknowledgment: Elections NZ – Official Count Results — Christchurch East
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As National’s electoral support continues to drop in the polls, closing schools in National held seats (Christchurch Central, Ilam, Waimakariri, and Selwyn) would not do the government any favours.
So when this right-wing government – which has demonstrated an unerring ability to act ruthlessly when it suits their interests – is going to close schools, causing more misery for the locals, they target a Labour electorate.
Or maybe it’s just a sheer coincidence that all four schools are in Ms Dalziel’s electorate and none are in a National held seat?
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This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 23 May 2013.
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12 June – Issues of Interest
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Nigel Latta on National Standards
On Facebook, child psychologist and TV host, Nigel Latta, had this to say about the recent National Standards “results”;
The latest national standards ‘results’ being reported in the media are utter nonsense. Pure and simple. Even if we ignore the large inconsistencies between the way that the ‘standards’ are measured (and we can’t because the inconsistencies make comparisons all but impossible), and the fact that it assumes all children of a given age are maturing at the same rate (which they don’t), and we ignore the impact of little things like child poverty (which some politicians like to do much to their shame), it’s still impossible to say anything at all about a change in the numbers when you only have two data points.
They can’t say that a difference of 1.2-2% on the various measures between last year and this year is an ‘improvement’, because we simply don’t know.
If you had assessed all of those very same children again the day after they were assessed for these numbers, in the exact same conditions with the exact same measures, then you would also get a different number. That’s because in the real world we have this little thing called statistical variation–things never work out exactly the same. To make any meaningful statements about ‘improvements’ you need meaningful measures (which national standards aren’t anyway) over several different data points (i.e. over several years).
I wish the media would get that very simple, but very important point. Politicians will spin it as a gain, but it isn’t. It’s simply meaningless statistical ‘noise’.
The government went with national standards because they thought voters would like it, not because it’s the best thing for making progress on education. If we really wanted to lift our ‘national standards’ then, perhaps as a beginning, we’d take more care of the large numbers of our kids living in poverty.
When they produce their ‘rankings’ of schools I’m pretty sure it’s going to show a trend whereby higher decile schools meet/exceed the ‘standards’ much more than lower decile schools. I wonder why that might be? And who do we blame for that? Teachers?
Don’t be sucked in by all this political positioning. My advice is to ignore the national standards tables because they don’t mean anything. There’s a reason teachers were so opposed to the way these ‘national standards’ are being used… fundamentally because it’s nonsense!
Nigel Latta, Facebook, 12 June 2013
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100% Pure brand busted!
New Zealand’s distance from it’s major trading partners (except Australia) has always been a major impediment to our trading. Our point-of-difference has been the quality of our food products, and has made them desirable commodities on that basis. Branding ourselves as “100% Pure” and “Clean and Green” were marketing tools that created a multi-billion dollar export industry.
But that is coming to an end.
We are not “100% Pure” and nor are we “Clean and Green”. Anything but.
National has paid lip service to being green.
Pollution has been allowed to increase.
It’s focus on “reforming” the RMA to allow for exploitation mof sensitive environmental areas; more and more chemicals ion our farms; allowing dangerous deep sea drilling of our coastline; mining in Conservation lands; and ditching our committment to the Kyoto Protocol – have not gone unnoticed by our trading partners.
And those trading partners are starting to react accordingly,
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Acknowledgment: Radio NZ – Sri Lanka demands DCD testing on NZ milk powder
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An over-reaction?
Not when National has appointed a board to over-see a resource consent application to allow an increase of nitrogen pollution in the Tukituki River by a staggering 250% !
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Acknowledgment: Radio NZ – Nitrate proposal seen as death knell for river
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This will not doubt be ratchetted back to “only” 50% or 100%, and National will claim that they are “listening” to public concerns. It’s an old political trick when a deeply unpopular policy is put forward. Make a number unfeasibly large; then offer a lower number, and claim that government has listened to the public. In reality it was the lower number all along that was the preferred option.
National has consistently undermined environmental protections in this country, as well as knee-capped DoC by sacking staff and under-funding it’s operations.
We are now starting to pay the price of right-wing policies that pursue business and profit ahead of preserving our environment.
What National and it’s one-eyed supporters don’t seem to comprehend is that business and profits are dependendent on our clean and green environment. Mess up the environment and expect to lose customers and profits.
Just ask the Sri Lankans.
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User-pays healthcare?
For those neo-liberals and naive National supporters who advocate replacing our socialised healthcare system with privatised healthcare insurance, I present the reality,
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Acknowledgment: NZ Herald – NZ private health insurance uptake hits 6-yr low
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Private health-privider, Wakefield chairman Alan Isaac said,
“The total number of New Zealanders with private health insurance (is) decreasing.”
Acknowledgment: IBID
Well, no wonder!
Even as private healthcare companies like Wakefield are complaining about losing customers, they are hiking premiums and still making a 27% increase in full-year earnings. Twentyseven percent! Compare that to other investments, and you begin to realise that these companies aren’t doing too bad.
That’s 27% that could have been re-invested in healthcare – but is instead going into the pockets of shareholders.
What would happen, I wonder, if New Zealand’s healthcare system was fully privatised and went totally “free market”, as ACT policy demands?
This OECD chart suggests the result, if we were ever foolish enough to go down that road,
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Source: OECD – Total health expenditure per capita, public and private, 2007
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At 7,290, the United States spends nearly three times as much on healthcare as we do. Their private/public health costs are vastly greater than the entire public/private expenditure we have here in New Zealand with our “socialised” system.
And ACT wants to emulate our American cuzzies?!
The only thing the USA has demonstrated is that a privatised healthcare system will result in a massive blow-out in costs and rapacious profits for shareholders.
The argument from the neo-liberal Right is that private enterprise is “more efficient” and better for consumers. This is absolute bollocks.
If anything, private health insurance is highly ineffective at delivering universal healthcare for it’s clients,
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Acknowledgment: Fairfax Media – Ongoing jumps in health insurance costs
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As has been observed by others in the past, private health insurance is relatively cheap when you are young, healthy, and make few demands for medical intervention.
But with old age; increased infirmity; and heightened vulnerabilty comes increased premium payments for policy-holders. Just when they most require increased medical services.
This is the fatal flaw in private medical insurance; those who most require it, will pay the highest premiums. And pay, and pay, and pay…
Just ask the Americans.
See also: NZ Herald – Jack Tame: Sickness is too expensive in the land of the free
Other blogs: Canadian and U.S. healthcare – a debate
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Some good news at last…
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It has been a stain on our reputation that despite our anti-nuclear legislation, our Superannuation Fund was still investing in overseas companies engaged in producing atomic bombs and cluster munitions. This was a problem (I refuse to call it an “issue”) that I highlighted in December, last year.
Previous related blogposts: New Zealand’s OTHER secret shame
Previous related blogposts: New Zealand’s OTHER secret shame – *Update*
The Superannuation Fund has done the right thing by no longer continuing to invest in Babcock & Wilcox, Fluor Corporation, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Jacobs Engineering Group, Serco Group and URS Corporation;
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Acknowledgment: Fairfax Media – Super Fund sells nuclear investments
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The other weapons we are no longer investing in is the manufacture of cluster-munitions. These vile things are the weapons-of-choice for vicious dictators and other repressive regimes which they use against their civilian population.
They have been used in Syria, against unarmed civilians. Children have been killed by these monstrous devices. (see: Syrian children ‘killed by cluster bombs’)
Cluster munitions have been outlawed by nearly 100 nations which signed a treaty to ban cluster bombs. In 2009, to their credit, the current National-led government passed legislation banning these obscene weapons from our country. This included the possession, retaining, stockpiling, assistance, encouragement, or even inducement to deal with them.
NZ Parliament: Cluster Munitions Prohibition Act 2009 (17 Dec 2009)
It would take a ruthless person to discount this human suffering and advocate for our continued investment in their manufacture.
The Superannuation Fund was effectively breaking the law with it’s investments in General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, Raytheon, and the Goodrich Corp.
It’s good to see that our fingers are no longer bloodied by such investments.
As for right-wingers who dismiss investment in atomic bombs or cluster munition – go play with a cluster bomb. Come back to me after it’s detonated in your hands. Then we’ll talk.
Just ask the Syrians.
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The bucks stops with me over there, somewhere…
I guess it was inevitable, really…
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Acknowledgment: Radio NZ – Deputy Secretary resigns over Novopay
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Did we really, really expect any one of the three Ministers who signed off on Novopay to put their hand up and admit responsibility?!
No less than three ministers signed off on Novopay, to allow it to “go live”;
- Education Minisrer Hekia Parata
- Associate Education Minister Craig Foss
- Finance Minister Bill English
Because doesn’t it strike people as indicative that Minister for Everything, aka, Mr Fixit, Steven Joyce was appointed Minister in charge of Novopay – thereby taking responsibility for this ongoing balls-up away from Parata?! (see: ODT – Joyce to take on handling of Novopay)
Despite the so-call “ministerial inquiry”, Joyce had a very interesting point to make on 31 January;
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Acknowledgement – Radio NZ – Government sticking with Novopay for now
“Steven Joyce revealed that Education Minister Hekia Parata, Finance Minister Bill English and former education minister Craig Foss approved the use of Novopay despite being told that it had bugs.”
So… how can Joyce’s statement be reconciled with his statement, five months later,
“Reporting to Ministers was inconsistent, unduly optimistic and sometimes misrepresented the situation.”
Source: Beehive.govt.nz: Ministerial Inquiry report into Novopay released
Either Ministers were “told that it had bugs” or reporting was “unduly optimistic and sometimes misrepresented the situation“. Which is it?!
By the way, the Ministerial Inquiry was undertaken by Maarten Wevers and Chairman of Deloitte New Zealand Murray Jack.
Mr Weavers was former head of the Department of the Prime Minister (John Key) and Cabinet.
Connect the dots.
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Other blogposts: Gordon Campbell on the latest Novopay revelations
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= fs =
Christchurch will cost National the Election
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There are three things that will cost National the election in 2014 (or earlier).
The first is jobs. The Market is simply not creating new jobs as neo-liberal dogma dictates it should. And with National’s Hands Off policy in the economic, their 2011 promise to create 170,000 new jobs (see: “Budget 2011: Govt predicts 170,000 new jobs” ) is something that will be used to beat them over the head more and more as Election Day looms.
The economy. A Hands Off policy in good times, when unemployment is low and growth is reasonably good, can be expected and understood.
In bad times though, taking your hands of the economic tiller poses one question; if government doesn’t act proactively (as other governments are doing around the world) – then what is the point of having a government?
And lastly, events with education-related problems will remain an open, painful sore for the Nats. Whether it’s the quasi-privatisation of education through dodgy “Charter Schools”; the unrelenting Novopay cock-up; or proposed closures/amalgamations of 19 schools in Christchurch – this will be an on-going sign for the public (and voters) that National does not have the co-operation of the community and can ride rough-shod over people’s concerns.
As Colin Espiner wroter in Christchurch’s “The Press” on 19 January,
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“The secret to great comedy, they say, is timing, and if “they” are right, then this Government is not very funny.
With Friday looming as the second anniversary of the most devastating of the Christchurch earthquakes, Education Minister Hekia Parata’s school closures announcement could not have come at a worse time.
I don’t think anyone who wasn’t in the city on that day can truly appreciate the impact it had on the people of Christchurch, and continues to have to this day. Certainly Hekia Parata doesn’t.
I accept that in the wake of the quakes some decisions about the future of schooling in Christchurch needed to be made. Actually I think everyone accepts that.
I also accept that some of those decisions won’t be popular, but needed to be made. As John Key said yesterday, “the Government needs to address this issue for the long-term good of the community”.
But there are ways and means of doing something that isn’t going to be pleasant. Dentists use anaesthetic before drilling a hole in your tooth. And they warn you beforehand.
The manner in which this Government has approached the issue of Christchurch’s post-quake schooling has been woeful. Actually, that’s being too kind. It’s been careless, haphazard, unfeeling and downright incompetent.”
Source: Timing of school closures couldn’t be worse
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After a while “strong government” becomes arrogant, uncaring government. And that’s when voters rebel.
A recent IPSOS/Fairfax poll, which showed a drop in support for the Nats at 44.9% (1.3% points down on their previous poll in December) made this interesting obserservation;
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” With the election probably still at least 18 months away, the big battleground will be for undecided voters, who made up 11.1 per cent of those surveyed.
Pollster Duncan Stuart said a breakdown of undecided voters suggested many were “soft” National supporters, who had started looking around. “
Source: National no longer a sure winner – poll
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In other words, we are seeing a re-play of the final two years of the Shipley-led National administration, in 1998 and 1999, when public odium because so strong that voters couldn’t stampede fast enough to the Ballot Booths to vote for Labour and the Alliance. There is only so much “hands off” government the Middle Classes will tolerate before their ‘comfort zone’ is breeched.
In the late ’90s, the ‘touch paper’ was health.
This time it will be jobs and education.
After two major earthquakes; a loss of 185 lives; thousands of homes and businesses damaged or destroyed; upheavals in peoples’ lives; increasing numbers of homeless living rough; slow processing of insurance claims; and many who have simply quit the quake-ravaged city – the current agenda from National, and implemented by Hekia Parata, is like a rolling, political slow-quake, of additional stress on the city.
Cantabrians must be looking skyward and beseeching the Heavens, “What have we done wrong to earn all this?”
That stress is leading to desperation and behaviour that in other, saner times, good people might never think of doing,
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Source: Dark side of opposition to school mergers
The stress on families, teachers, and others in areas targetted for school closures/amalgamations must be phenomenal.
New Zealanders watching all this, up and down the country, must be secretly sighing relief that they aren’t the one’s in the firing line of Christchurch’s twin curses of natural disaster and political upheaval.
Yesterday (19 February) National electorate-MP, Nicky Wagner stated on Radio New Zealand,
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“The National MP for Christchurch Central, Nicky Wagner, accepts she may lose votes as a result of the education overhaul. But she says she believes the right decisions are being made. The MP won her seat with a majority of just 47 votes.
She said,
‘‘ We need to make really good decisions for Christchurch. We need to make good decisions in education but in all other ones and to make the most of every opportunity, and personally if it’s a matter between a good decision and being voted in again I’d take the good decision any day.’’ “
Source: Radio NZ, 10pm news bulletin, 19 Feb 2013
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Ms Wagner’s nonchalence in losing her seat in favour of taking a “good decision any day” may come true sooner than she anticipated.
Cantabrians will be happy to assist.
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*
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Additional
Fairfax media: 71pc want Parata gone – poll
Fairfax media: Parata’s ‘lie-telling’ infuriates principals
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= fs =
Amazing events this last month!!!
Three amazing events that’ve taken place this last months, and which serves to remind us how unpredictable and weird the Universe can really be…
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Sensational!!!
Richard III’s skeleton discovered!
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The grave of Richard III was discovered on 4 February, under a carpark in Leicester (fitting, being the 21st Century), and caused a worldwide sensation as this 528 year old King was prominent in British history as well as the subject of a play by William Shakespeare…
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Astounding!!!
Meteor shower over Russia!
Straight out of a science fiction movie, a huge meteor entered the atmosphere and exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, three days ago. Luckily, it exploded into fragments high up in the atmosphere.
Had it impacted the ground intact, the devastation and loss of life would’ve been far more severe.
It was a small taste of what our dino cuzzies must’ve experienced, 65 million years ago…
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Unbelievable!!!
Hekia Parata fronts on Campbell Live – Sceptics Society shocked!
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Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either…
After sending her ‘flunkies’ (see previous blogopost: Parata, Bennett, and Collins – what have they been up to?) to front for her and take media heat for Christchurch schools closures, the Novopay debacle, and other foul-ups – Education Minister, Hekia Parata finally fronted for an interview with TV3’s John Campbell.
The media training that Parata has been given seems to have worked. Her demented grin…
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– was gone.
Meanwhile, in ‘quake ravaged Christchurch, where increased stress is causing children to have nightmares and instances of bedwetting has skyrocketed (see: Quakes traumatise kids), Parata has decided not to close or amalgamate 31 schools.
She’s only going to close/amalgamate 13 schools (see: Minister announces fate of Canterbury schools).
Well, that’s that’s f*****g big of her, isn’t it?!
Why not further gut the heart out of a community that has lost 185 of it’s people to a violent, natural disaster; thousands of homes damages or destroyed; businesses closed; insurance companies and EQC dicking people around; and entire neighbourhoods written off.
In case anyone needed proof that National has no heart, well, look no further.
And for all you National supporters out there who don’t give a rats because it hasn’t happened to you… well, Karma is working over-time at present.
Your turn will come.
To the people of Christchurch, and for those shocked by today’s announcements, I just want to say that a whole lot of your fellow New Zealanders are with you, in spirit at least. I just hope there’s a change of government before Parata can implement her rotten-to-the-core, penny-pinching, policies.
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= fs =
The Prime Minister, Pastoral property, and Parata…
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Point 1: The Prime Minister
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Key’s appearance at Waitangi’s Te Tii Marae was marked by the usual “theatre” (as Labour’s Shane Jones refers to it – see: Titewhai Harawira wins over escorting PM at Waitangi) and the media were only too happy to focus their attention and cameras on the drama of the day.
Someone, though, profitted enormously from today’s (5 February) events,
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Unfortunately for the Left, Key’s mana was only enhanced by the public spectacle of his calm, stately, demeanour and will have raised his popularity as Prime Minister by several percentage points. Middle Class Pakeha will have lapped up Dear Leader’s performance – especially his vow to “keep returning”.
Shades of Douglas MacArthur’s famous quote during World War 2, “I came through and I shall return“.
Not in 2014, I hope.
National governments are too costly for our economy and social cohesion. Just ask any of the 175,000 unemployed or 250,000 children living in poverty or 40,000 jobs lost in the manufacturing sector in the last four years.
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Point 2: Pastoral property
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The Great Sell-Off of our country continues unabated, as news came out today that Chinese company, Yashili New Zealand Dairy Company has announced that it has applied for Overseas Investment Office approval to build a $210 million milk processing plant at Pokeno in Waikato, and a Swedish company, Southern Pastures Partnership, has been approved by the OIO to purchase eight Waikato dairy farms, totalling over 3,000 hectares.
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Once again, we are seeing the most productive and profitable parts of our primary industries being sold off to foreign investors.
See also: Chinese dairy giant buys land for $210m factory
See also: Chinese dairy giant enters NZ market with $210m factory
See also: Swedish investors buy farms from Hart
See also: Swedish investors cleared to buy Carter Holt dairy farms
Those naive enough to believe that this will benefit us – need to look again.
What the Swedes and Chinese have done is make an immediate investment for long-term gains. The dairy industry is profitable now – when the human population on Earth reaches 9 billion, it will create incredible wealth…
… wealth for those who own the means of production.
In this case, the profits made by Yashili New Zealand Dairy Company and Southern Pastures Partnership will be ‘exported’ back to the home-nations of the investors (Sweden and China), along with the goods that they produce.
We will end up with some taxes paid by employees (us) and the companies.
But most of the dairy pay-out from Southern Pastures Partnership and profits from exports by Yashili New Zealand Dairy Company will be remitted overseas.
The consequences, if it needs to be spelled out will be;
- lost profits to us, as a country
- lost foreign revenue, through exports,
- a worsening Current Account deficit.
In years to come our descendents (most of whom will be living in Australia by then) will look back at us and wonder at our lack of foresight and economic naiveté.
In short – how dumb were we?
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Point 3: Parata
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Further to my blogpost on 18 January, our very own Invisible Woman – Hekia Parata – our so-called “Minister of Education”, was still shying away from appearing in the media. (See previous blogpost: Parata, Bennett, and Collins – what have they been up to?)
Campbell did another story on the Novopay fiasco today (5 February), and invited Ms Parata to an interview.
She was nowhere to be seen. (And as I speculated twelve days in my blogpost – Karma for Key? – the reason may be that she’s been told; “stay away from the media and keep your mouth firmly zipped, sweetie“.)
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Which is just as well, as Campbell had some further remarkable instances of cock-ups made by Novopay. Like, school cleaners getting paid $20,000 for working 24 hours a fortnight?
Maybe John Key’s promise in 2008 to raise the wages of New Zealanders has finally come true?
Nah. No such luck – just more Novopay cock-ups.
Meanwhile some teachers were being paid $0.00.
Never mind paying $100 million for Novopay’s lemon – perhaps National should’ve just left it to Lotto? The results would’ve been about the same.
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= fs =
Did we just hear Steven Joyce sh*t all over his colleagues?!?!
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Acknowledgment: Radio NZ – Government sticking with Novopay – for now
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Steven Joyce,
“Steven Joyce revealed that Education Minister Hekia Parata, Finance Minister Bill English and former education minister Craig Foss approved the use of Novopay despite being told that it had bugs.”
See: IBID
In colloquial terms, that is what is known as ‘dropping someone in it’ – “it” being brown, smelly, and heading for waste-treament ponds.
Is there a civil war going on within National, comprising two factions with one led by technocrat Steven Joyce and the other by neo-liberal Bill English?
Or is there something even more disquieting going on within National’s ranks.
Joyce added,
“There was definitely knowledge there were bugs at the outset of going live. But the advice of all involved was that the thing should proceed. I doubt they’d give the same advice today.”
Noticeably, when queried by media, all three Ministers had similar responses – obviously coached by the same tax-payer funded Party spin-doctors and media-minders,
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See: Mr Fix-It has Novopay plan
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Hekia Parata
“I think hindsight’s a wonderful thing....”
Bill English
“In hindsight....”
And the tongue-tied Craig Foss,
“Well in hindsight… is a benefit of hindsight...”
See: IBID
You can always tell when a politician has been coached; they use the same words and phrases over and over again. Spin doctors/media-minders develop a mantra, and their clients are expected to learn and parrot it, by rote. It takes a skilful journalist/interviewer to peel away the carefully-crafted coaching and get to the truth.
This indicates that Parata, English, and Foss had been pre-warned of Joyce’s press conference and admission of the three Minister’s actions.
So is this some sort of carefully managed internecine warfare?
Or a very subtle, clever strategy to neutralise possible Opposition disclosures in Parliament?
Joyce’s statements that there will be on-going problems with Novopay could be seen as an attempt to minimise future media reports on Novopay errors.After all, if National admits that there will be ongoing problems – does that make it news when it happens?
Whichever is the case, this is Steven Joyce at his most cunning, and the Opposition will need to be on their toes. As will the media, if they are not to be out-manouvered by National’s “Mr Fix It”.
“Mr Fix It” does not apply to sorting out computerised pay systems. “Mr Fix It” fixes political messes.
This certainly qualifies as the Mother of all Messes.
Addendum
As is common with National, Joyce attempted to shift blame onto advisors/bureacrats/Uncle Tom Cobbly, when he stated,
“There was definitely knowledge there were bugs at the outset of going live. But the advice of all involved was that the thing should proceed…”
My bet is that we will never, ever see this “advice”.
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= fs =
Karma for Key?
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John Key, on Hekia Pata, nearly a fortnight ago,
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“I actually think she’s a very effective communicator; in fact if you look at her history in politics, she’s been one of the smoothest communicators we’ve actually had.” – John Key, 18 January 2013
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Hekia Parata, confirming Dear Leader’s assertion that she is “one of the smoothest communicators we’ve actually had”,
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It takes a profound and deeply callous indifference to make light of the ongoing Novopay fiasco and the resulting stresses on teachers and school admninistrators.
Parata may have been ‘joking’ when she made her “Karma” quip.
The joke, though, is on her and on John Key. I suspect that the moment this story hit the headlines, that Key was on the phone quick-smart and gave her a simple message; “shut the –––––––– up!”.
As pundits have reasonable postulated, Key has evaded demands that Parata be despatched as Education Minister. (After all, only eight days ago he fired two other Ministers who were nowhere as masterful in the incompetance stakes as Ms Parata.)
The difference, as the pundits have most likely correctly guessed, is that sacking Parata would’ve been seen as caving in to teacher’s unions, school boards, parents, and anyone else that she has pissed off in the last year or so. It would’ve been a major coup for the Opposition, who are now only 22 months away from becoming the next government.
So instead of sacking Parata, Key went for Plan B; side-line her so she is Minister of Education in name only, and assigned National’s “hatchetman” – Stephen Joyce – as the real Power-behind-the-Ministerial-Leather-Throne,
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In the meantime, Key’s message to Parata would’ve been simple,
“Sit there.
Smile vacantly.
Shut up.
And do nothing.”
As I wrote in my previous blogpost (see: National and the Cult of Buck-Passing ) on 22 Decemberlast year,
As for Hekia Parata, this blogger is ambivalent about her resigning her portfolio.
A new Minister would simply take up the reins and pursue current National Party policies. Perhaps with a new vigour. That would be of no help to this country whatsoever.
Parata’s presence as Minister of Education has an ongoing “benefit” of focusing on the ideological nuttiness of National’s education “reforms”.
National’s education portfolio is a mess because National’s policies are, in themselves, a mess.
Why take away a constant reminder of National’s failings, by sacking one of it’s most inept Ministers?
Why put a fresh, new, clean face on a cesspit of problematic policies?
Why let the Nats off the hook?
Let Parata stay. It will give voters something to think about in 2014 (if not earlier).
It seems that two of my “predictions” have come to pass,
- “A new Minister would simply take up the reins and pursue current National Party policies.” Enter: Stephen Joyce.
- ” Let Parata stay. It will give voters something to think about in 2014 (if not earlier).” With her bizarre comments, she certainly is giving voters something to think about.
When Hekia Parata referred to Karma today, I think she was missing the Big Picture. See the bite marks on Key’s $50 million arse?
That’s karma.
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*
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References
Otago Daily Times: Joyce to take on handling of Novopay
NZ Herald: Parata safe in her job – Key
Dominion Post: No pay for Education Ministry staff
NZ Herald: ‘Karma’ strikes unpaid Education Ministry staff
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= fs =
Parata, Bennett, and Collins – what have they been up to?
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Muppet #1 – Hekia Parata
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“I actually think she’s a very effective communicator; in fact if you look at her history in politics, she’s been one of the smoothest communicators we’ve actually had.” – John Key, 18 January 2013
See: Parata safe in her job – Key
Prime Minister John Key says Education Minister Hekia Parata will be safe in an upcoming Cabinet reshuffle, … because she is hugely talented and one of National’s best communicators.
See: Parata’s job safe in shuffle
*snort!*
I’d be a happy chappy if the Nats DID have more like her in Cabinet!!
If she’s one of the Nat’s “best communicators”, I’d luv to know why she’s kept ducking calls for media interviews and instead sent Lesley Longstone to cover for Parata’s f**k-ups,
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2 October 2012
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3 October 2012
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4 October 2012
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26 October 2012
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29 October 2013
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14 November 2012
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28 November 2012
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When Lesley Longstone’s resignation was announced last year on 19 December, Hekia Parata was still nowhere to be seen. The announcement was handled by State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie (see: Education secretary quits),
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19 December 2012
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20 December 2012
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Parata’s office explained why she couldn’t front,
Parata is currently on holiday and has refused to front on Longstone’s resignation, but in a statement released this afternoon she thanked Longstone for her efforts in leading the Ministry.
See: Education Ministry boss quits after ‘strained relationship’
Hmmmm, judging by Parata not fronting for most of last year, was she on holiday for most of 2012?!
“Smooth communicator…”!?
Ye gods, this deserves a Tui billboard.
Roll on 2013 – it’s going to be a great year.
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Muppet #2 – Paula Bennett
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Social Welfare Minister, Paula Bennett, has a relationship with hypocrisy, bene-bashing, and mendacity that can only be described as “intimate”.
Since 2011, she has derided and denigrated the unemployed; solo-parents; widows, invalids, the sick, and young people, and blamed them for being in a position requiring welfare assistance.
Never mind the fact that the Global Financial Crisis of 2007/08 has seen unemployment skyrocket from 3.4% in 2007 to the current 7.3%.
Or that welfare recipients as a whole were at their lowest in 2008.
National’s entire strategy for getting people off welfare has not been about job creation – that has beemn left to the “Market” to sort out – but about punitive sanctions targetting those receiving welfare.
See previous blogpost for full list of sanctions targetting welfare recipients: Johnny’s Report Card – National Standards Assessment – the social welfare safety net
Even Dear Leader had a go at welfare recipients in February 2011,
“But it is also true that anyone on a benefit actually has a lifestyle choice. If one budgets properly, one can pay one’s bills.
And that is true because the bulk of New Zealanders on a benefit do actually pay for food, their rent and other things. Now some make poor choices and they don’t have money left.” – John Key, 17 February, 2011
See: Food parcel families made poor choices, says Key
Key had even more daft things to say about welfare recipients here; National to push 46,000 off welfare . But not a single word about generating jobs for the unemployed. Not. One. Word.
Now that 5,000 sole-parents have mysteriously “dropped off” from DPB welfare, I have a question for Ms Bennet and Dear Leader;
Will those sole parents be acknowledged for finding work (a questionable assumption in itself) in a tough marketplace where unemployment stands at 7.3% (175,000 people) and where, it was announced today, growth in the jobs market has slowed? (See: Unemployment rate set to hold as job ads flatten out – ANZ, Job growth slows, says Trade Me)
Will Bennett acknowledge that people are on welfare – not because it is an opulent lifestyle – but because of sheer necessity?
Will the Minister – who successfully exploited the welfare system for her own benefit; bought a house using WINZ funding; and gave up paid employment because it was “too tough” to study, work, and care for her daughter simultaneously – acknowledge that it was not National’s punitive bene-bashing policies that found work for 5,000 sole-parents, but the parents themselves?
Or will she grab the kudos for herself?
More than half of that drop happened in the last three months of the year, after the introduction of Ms Bennett’s policy required sole parents to get part-time work when their youngest child turned five and fulltime work for those whose children were older than 14.
Ms Bennett said 3221 sole parents had returned to work since that came into force in October.
See: Bennett trumpets 5000 fewer on DPB
Yup. She’s taken the credit for herself.
Addendum
The numbers quoted in the Heral story are at variance with those from the Ministry of Social Developement.
From the NZ Herald,
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From the MSD,
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Even the Herald’s own trance of figures is not consistent. The DPB figures are compared between 2011 and 2012. The remaining two trances – All Types of Benefits and Unemployment – are compared between 2010 and 2012.
Dodgy.
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Muppet #3 – Judith Collins
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Remember “Crusher” Collins? Remember New Zealand’s own Iron Lady who brooks no sh*t from criminals, boy racers, or stroppy Labour MPs?
Remember how Collins was going to deal to crims who had been awarded compensation for breaches of their rights,
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The Nats love to thrash the Law & Order issues. It appeals to low information voters, rednecks, and right wing simpletons and is great for the Tories to score a few thousand extra votes at election time.
In reality it achieves zip to actually reform and rehabilitate prisoners, and address core problems in their offending; alcolhol/drug abuse; illiteracy; unresolved psychiatric problems; and off course the number one factor; no prospects for employment.
Which is why it’s a bit of a surprise when a National minister appears to See The Light, and backtracks on one of their core, Get-Tough-On-Crims policies,
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It’s nice to see a National minister shy away from mindless knee-jerk law-making that appeals to the Talback Radio mindset – but achieves very little except nudge New Zealand closer to being an autocratic state.
Until the next election, of course,
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Other blogs
Tumeke: Paula Bennett and her amazing vanishing beneficiaries
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National and the Cult of Buck-Passing
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Successive National governments have had a problem.
New Zealanders, like all other human beings, don’t like paying taxes. National, like all other right wing political parties, are only too happy to oblige and try to cut taxes at every opportunity. They did this in 2009 and a year later in 2010. (Though recently they have been sneakily raising indirect taxes wherever possible. See: Parents face burden of preschool squeeze, Tax hikes disguised as reinvestment’, Petrol, road charges hikes are ‘bad news‘)
But at the same time, New Zealanders love their tax-payer funded social services. Whether it be free hospitals; highly-subsidised medicines, nearly-free education; free roading, etc. Quite simply, we like the “goodies” that are expected of a developed, First World nation.
What we don’t like are governments that attempt to tinker with, and cut-back, on our state-provided social services.
Which is where Miniaster of Education, Hekia Parata, has gone disastrously wrong.
Her first “crime” was the announced – discovered, more like – policy just after the Budget was released on 24 May. It did not take long before a cunning plan for teacher cuts and larger class sizes, buried deep within the Budget, was uncovered,
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The uproar from parents, teachers, principals, school boards, and others throughout the community was such that the policy was literally ‘gone by lunchtime, two weeks later,
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Parents and sector workers were no fools. They knew precisely what this cash-strapped “government” was trying to do. National had already reached into the pockets of paper-delivery children, to extract taxes from them. (See: Budget 2012: ‘Paper boy tax’ on small earnings stuns Labour)
National had previously blown billions in it’s 2009/2010 tax cuts (see: Government’s 2010 tax cuts costing $2 billion and counting) and they were now gearing up to recoup those losses by cutting back on State services.
This was pure, unadulterated, and re-cycled National Party policy from the 1990s. Who remembers National’s attempt in 1991, to implement a User-Pays charge of $50 per day in hospitals, up to a maximum of ten days? (See: Teara – Funding public hospitals) The policy was hugely unpopular and failed because New Zealanders simply refused to pay it.
The classroom-teacher debacle was the first of several major crises (I refuse to call them “issues”) to confront Hekia Parata and her Ministry.
Others included,
- the ongoing Novopay fiasco
- the enforced amalgamation/closures of 30+ Christchurch schools, using data that was discovered to be hopelessly wrong,
- the attempt to force closure of Salisbury School, which would have placed special-needs female students in a male school, and making them potential victims of sexual abuse (See: Parata did not heed warning over closure),
- Ministry of Education suggestions that misleading information be given in respect to Official Information Act requests about Christchurch school closures. (See: Education ministry criticism ‘serious‘)
It seems fairly clear that Parata has wilfully ignored the advice of her own officials and failed to consult with parents, teachers, and others in local communities. The result has been a growing dillusionment and enmity between Parata and her constituents.
The problems became so great; coming one after another in over-lapping succession; and seemingly increasing in intensity, that Parata eventually ceased to front up to the media.
Instead, it was left to bureacrat, Education Secretary Lesley Longstone, to answer for the Education Minister,
Education Minister Hekia Parata declined an interview with Campbell Live last night. Instead, the ministry’s chief executive Lesley Longstone fronted, and admitted mistakes had been made – though defended the ministry’s processes.
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Hekia Parata could no longer answer to the public without appearing to be hopelessly ineffective in her own portfolio.
As a Minister, she seemed utterly out of her depth and this blogger strongly suspects that she has been given instructions from on high (Steven Joyce?) to steer clear of the media.
The untreated human effluent finally hit the fan when Ms Longstone became the “patsy”, falling on Parata’s sword as a political sacrificial ewe. Only about thirteen months into a five year contract, Ms Longstone is leaving New Zealand with her tail firmly between her legs. (See: Education Secretary Lesley Longstone resigns )
One doubts she will be in a hurry to return, even to savour the delights of the touristy-destination of “Middle Earth New Zealand”.
During this crisis, Parata was again nowhere to be seen. The resignation and resultant media conference was handled by State Services Commissioner, Iain Rennie (along with a blond “Minder”, wearing copious quantities of red lippy, standing anxiously in the background),
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So to re-cap,
- Parata has stuffed up at least half a dozen critical problems impacting on her ministerial portfolio,
- She has succeeded in alienating almost all her constituents,
- When she could no longer function effectively as a Minister, nor field media queries, she dumped the whole stinking mess into Longstone’s lap,
- The entangled mess of problems were such that Ms Longstone was unable to cope. Her overseas background and lack of knowledge of New Zealand society and politics was probably one of her greatest handicaps,
- Longstone finally had a gutsful and bailed. (And who on Earth could possibly blame her?!)
- And Parata was still nowhere to be seen – instead dumping the mess into yet another lap; Iain Rennie.
Talk about dodging responsibility and passing the buck!
So what was our Esteemed Dear Leader doing during this crisis?
Apparently, he was busy,
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See also: Key puts dancing ahead of explaining
Buck-passing – best done as a group National thing.
Considering that Ms Longstone’s resignation was known in advance – with State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie confirming Longstone resignation was made two to three weeks ago – it defies belief that Key was goofing around on radio stations that morning.
It occurs to this blogger that John Key no longer wants the highest job in the land. We saw a hint of this earlier in the year, in May, when he told children at Holy Family School in Porirua East,
“Frankly, the way it’s going at the moment you can have the job“.
See: John Key’s midterm blues?
I’m sure there are many people in this country who would love to see someone else take Key’s job.
As for Hekia Parata, this blogger is ambivalent about her resigning her portfolio.
A new Minister would simply take up the reins and pursue current National Party policies. Perhaps with a new vigour. That would be of no help to this country whatsoever.
Parata’s presence as Minister of Education has an ongoing “benefit” of focusing on the ideological nuttiness of National’s education “reforms”.
National’s education portfolio is a mess because National’s policies are, in themselves, a mess.
Why take away a constant reminder of National’s failings, by sacking one of it’s most inept Ministers?
Why put a fresh, new, clean face on a cesspit of problematic policies?
Why let the Nats off the hook?
Let Parata stay. It will give voters something to think about in 2014 (if not earlier).
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Addendum
National seems to have a dodgy track-record when it comes to losing highly skilled, talented, managerial staff,
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And of course we had the recent extraordinary spectacle of Canadian ex-Supreme Court Judge, Ian Binnie, being publicly derided and humiliated by Justice Minister Judith Collins – despite Justice Binnie being invited by National to oversee an indepent review of the Bain case (See: Bain could have an enemy in the Beehive).
At this rate, the most highly skilled and experienced professionals and civil servants will think twice before coming to New Zealand to take up government contracts. Like some evil Master Mind in a James Bond story,
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“National does not tolerate failure, Ms Longstone. Would you like a Speights or water with your Professional Cyanide Pill?”
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References
Dominion Post: Schools face teacher cuts threat
Fairfax media: Backlash forces Government class size U-turn
Radio NZ: Education ministry criticism ‘serious
NZ herald: Work and Income boss quits
Radio NZ: Education Ministry head resigns
Dominion Post: Key puts dancing ahead of explaining
NZ Herald: Is Parata next?
Fairfax media: Education secretary quits
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National’s prioritises Education needs
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More craziness from National…
In a repeat of National’s cost-cutting and closure of critical social services in the late 1990s, Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced the closure of two very special; much needed, schools – Christchurch’s McKenzie Residential School and Nelson’s Salisbury Residential School,
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These are schools which provide special education for children with severe behavioural difficulties. These are safe environments for children, who, because of their special needs, would find it difficult – impossible – to cope in mainstream schools.
Despite most of 365 submissions opposing the closure of McKenzie Residential School, the decision to close McKenzie and Salibury proceeded.
Which begs the question as to why bother making submissions when National rarely listens to a community.
As the decisionswere announced, Parata stated,
“At the very heart of this difficult decision lies the opportunity to provide services and support for more children with complex needs in their local community.
The net result will be better support for more students and keeping communities together. I am satisfied that this combination of services will make sufficient provision for all children with special education needs both locally and nationally.
Our priority now is to ensure that every student currently enrolled in one of the schools closing has an individualised transition plan developed with them, their parents or caregivers, the residential school and their local school. That plan could be to support the student returning home and going to their local school with the wrap around service or to transfer to one of the residential special schools staying open.”
She added,
“We can link local services with the remaining residential provision to achieve a more personalised and high quality approach for children and their families.“
All of which is meaningless drivel; platitudes to attempt to quell growing unease within two communities that they are losing two vital services from their areas.
National is promising something it calls a “wrap-around” service for children who are moved from McKenzie and Salisbury, to mainstream schools.
This blogger holds grave concerns for any such promises of such a service.
In the 1990s, as Psychiatric Institutions closed, and their patients emptied into communities up and down the country, the-then Bolger-led National government promised extensive funding for support services for psychiatric patients.
That funding was nowhere as much as was promised or required, and ex-psych patients ended up living in public toilets; on the streets; and mostly with very little vital support.
Some ended up committing violent crimes.
National has a track record in closing down social services; making grandiose promises for funding alternative services – and failing to deliver.
This blogger predicts precisely the same will happen in this situation. Ex-students of Salisbury and McKenzie will not recieve the support they require; they will end up being “excluded” (modern jargon for expelled) from mainstream schools; and will end up living at home with their parents.
This is utterly predictable.
Only a fool would believe liars such as the Education Minister and others within the National “government”. None of them can be trusted.
National carried out similar policies in the late 1990s, which resulted in cutbacks to health, public housing, education, police, and other essential state services. All carried out in the name of “efficiency”.
The result was a country in turmloil; National being thrown out of office on 27 November 1999, losing five seats, whilst Labour picked up twelve, and subsequently formed a new government. (Source)
One questions why two perfectly acceptable; well-run; community-based schools are facing closure? Why is National then planning (?) to spend heavily (?) on support workers for each child integrated into a mainstream school? What is the point of disrupting the lives of so many young, vulnerable children?
Is National so desperate to save money to balance it’s precious books that it is willing to take away a valuable resource for children with severe behavioural difficulties?
The mind of a government minister that can contemplate such a destructive act is perhaps more disturbed than the children at the centre of this tragedy.
Salisbury School is considering legal action – which this blogger supports 100%. If the only persuasion that National will listen to is a Court injunction, then so be it.
Personal Story
In a previous blogpost – Once upon a time there was a solo-mum – I outlined the true-story of solo-mum, Sally*, and her sons, Wayne*, and Zack*. (* not real names)
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I referred to Sally’s younger son, Zack (11),
“During her studies and part time job, Sally raised her two sons – one of whom was increasingly “challenging” with Aspergers and ADHD.
(This blogger can confirm that young Zack – whilst a bright, personable child – can also be “a handful”, and was effectively thrown out of his previous school for “disruptive behaviour”.)”
Since that blogpost was written in March of this year, young Zack was “excluded” (ie, expelled) from his second school.
Zack’s ADHD, Aspergers, and Oppositional Defiance Disorder makes him very hard to handle within a mainstream school. He requires a full-time, one-on-one, support-teacher to keep him steady in class and to direct his learning.
Without that support, Zack becomes confrontational; difficult to communicate with; and reacts badly to other children’s behaviour.
Zack was receiving only 3 or 4 hours per school day (six hours) assistance from a support-teacher.
The remaining hours, he was left without support and the class teacher had to handle his unpredictable behaviour, which could disrupt class proceedings, as well as 30 other children.
One day, in a fit of anger (because another stuudent was making a noise that Zack’s Aspergers-ADHD mind could not cope with) he ran off and left the school. Teachers were called out to search the immediate neighbourhood for him. Police were called and scoured the area.
Zack was found, collecting sticks of the road, and delivered back into the care of Sally’s grandmother…
This is one instance where “wraparound” care does not exist – and no school will accept Zack without it. But without funding from the Ministry of Education, Zack will not have that so-called “wraparound” support.
It should be noted that whilst Zack has challenging, disruptive behaviours, he has a high-functioning form on the autism spectrum (very bright).
The children at Salisbury and McKenzie would have behaviours far more challenging, and far more potentially disruptive, in a mainstream class.
Update; Zack starts at a new school next week. His attendance will be determined by Ministry funding and time allocated for a support-teacher. Adequate funding for a full day is by no means guaranteed, and Sally remain anxious on this matter.
Sally has been told in no uncertain terms; without a full-time teacher-support, his new school will limit his attendance within class.
This, folks, supposedly constitutes National’s idea of a “wraparound” service.
We should be very worried about assurances from Minister Parata.
Meanwhile…
Even as National closes down two schools for our most vulnerable, behaviourally-difficult children, we hear this news,
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So evidently, closing down schools for special needs children is a necessity.
Preserving, funding, and giving full State support for one of the most elite schools in this country – is National’s top priority?
Have we got that?
Good.
Meanwhile, one of the special-needs schools made this critical point to Minister Parata,
” Salisbury School Board of Trustees chairperson Helen McDonnell said the school is concerned about the risks of the female students because they could be forced to move to the co-educational Halswell School 400 kilometres away.
“Parents are right to be anxious about their daughters’ safety at Halswell because a co-educational environment is inappropriate, unreasonable and potentially dangerous.
“[It] denies them the chance to get the specialist education they deserve and which their future depends on”.”
The female students at Salisbury school, whilst having the bodies of an eleven year old – have the minds of a 5 year old. And they will be placed in a co-ed situation with boys.
I think we can all understand where this is heading…
National – never underestimate their ability to totally screw-up a perfectly viable situation, and cause utter chaos and misery for those involved.
Elite Wanganui Collegiate School, on the other hand, has no such problems.
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Sources
The Press: McKenzie Residential School to close (31 October 2012)
TVNZ: School says closure could put special students at risk (31 October 2012)
Radio NZ: Special needs school board considers legal fight (1 November 2012)
Radio NZ: Listen to item on Morning Report
The Press: Residential pupils sent to mainstream schools (2 November 2012)
Fairfax News: Legality of closing school doubted (2 November 2012)
NZ Herald: Wanganui Collegiate to be integrated (2 November 2012)
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Parata preparing for another backdown? (Part Rua)
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After Education Minister, Hekia Patata’s dreadful performance on TVNZ’s ‘Q+A‘ on 30 September, it appears that her ‘minders’ have realised that she is not ‘selling’ the issues of National Standards and Christchurch School closures, to the public.
In fact, her slip to Shane Taurima that National Standards data was unreliable must have raised the eyebrows of every viewer in the country,
“ SHANE What’s the point of the information, though, if the Prime Minister, for example, he calls it ropey; the head of your own ministry, she has described it as unreliable.
HEKIA Well, what I have said all along is that it is variable. For the purposes of comparing schools, it is not reliable…”
As was her admission that school closures in Christchurch would add to the trauma already suffered by Cantabrians after two major earthquakes and 185 deaths,
“ Well, look. School closures around the country under any administration around the country are always difficult. Here in Christchurch is a community that’s been under intolerable stress for a very long time. ”
Parata didn’t just shoot herself in the foot in that interview – she kneecapped herself.
The consequence was that Parata appears no longer willing to be interviewed by the media.
She refused to accept John Campbell’s invitation to appear on his show on TV3 on 2 October – instead sending a bureacrat to front up, Ministry of Education chief executive, Lesley Longstone.
Longstone put on a brave face attempting to explain why so much of the Ministry’s information was completely wacko – as if they referred to schools in some other country (or maybe Planet Key) – but failed miserably,
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Little wonder that Parata refused to front. She would have been skewered and hung out to dry.
Again, this morning (3 October), Hekia Parata was invited to be interviewed on Radio NZ’s ‘Morning Report‘. Again, she refused point blank.
See: Radio NZ – Warning from Australia on National Standards
Ok, it’s possible that she had another engagement that prevented her from appearing on ‘Campbell Live‘ last night. But what was so pressing that she could not be on the phone to Radio NZ’s Geoff Robinson at 8.09am?
The answer is; nothing.
National’s policies on school closures and National Standards is an absolute mess. Parata is up to her neck in policies that are hard to defend; based on shonky data; and offer no real benefit to the education of our children.
Let’s be quite clear here; if National’s so-called “reforms” were such a great idea, Parata should be willing and eager to front at every opportunity to defend her policies and explain why they will help our children; communities; and country as whole.
Her new-found ‘shyness’ is indicative of only one thing; her policies are indefensible and deeply resented by New Zealanders. Furthermore, judging by the response she has received from parents and teaching professionals, she has lost the trust of those people who rely on her judgement.
Hekia Parata is the Minister of Education. Her education policies are her responsibilty.
If she is unable or unwilling to front up to the public, then she has no business earning her $257,800 ministerial salary (plus perks, plus gold-plated superannuation) .
When it comes to education, where does the buck stop?
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Sources
See: Q+A – Education Minister Hekia Parata (video)
See: Q+A – Education Minister Hekia Parata (transcript)
Radio NZ: 13 schools to close, others to merge in Christchurch
Wikipedia: New Zealand general election, 2011
Previous related blogpost
Christchurch, choice, and charter schools)
Parata preparing for another backdown?
Additional
School standards report card ‘ropey’
Schools claim merger data incorrect
Ministry admits some errors in data
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Parata preparing for another backdown?
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I – National Standards
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Wearing a Joker-like grin on TVNZ’s Q+A (30 September 2012) , National’s Education minister, Hekia Parata was interviewed by Shane Taurima on ‘National Standards’ and planned closures and forced amalgamations of several Christchurch schools.
Her answers regarding ‘National Standards’ suggest that she is no long “owning” the policy and is attempting to shift “ownership” (or responsibility) on to schools and parents. Parata ducked questions and constantly pointed to schools and parents as if they were leading the charge for change,
SHANE Little Johnny’s off to school next year, so Mum and Dad are going to jump online to see how the schools in their area are performing. As things sit now, just how reliable and accurate is that [National Standards] information for Mum and Dad?
HEKIA So that’s one of the things Mum and Dad are going to do. It’s not going to replace Mum and Dad visiting the schools that they want to enroll their children in. What they’ll find on the website is not only the first year of National Standards data but the ERO report and the annual report that relate to the schools they’re thinking about.
[abridged]
HEKIA Schools have had faithfully reproduced the information that they have provided, so we’re relying on schools to tell us themselves what their valid and accurate data is…
[abridged]
HEKIA We are relying on schools to tell us that, and schools have. 2088 schools have produced their report on the 31st of May. It’s their data. We’re relying on their judgement.
[abridged]
HEKIA Well, it’s schools’ data…
[abridged]
HEKIA They can rely on what the schools have said about themselves…
Notice the constant reference back to schools? As if schools actually had choice in whether or not to participate in National’s programme?
But the most astounding comment came from Parata when she herself admitted that National Standards were every bit as ‘ropey’ as what Dear Leader Key had previously claimed.
SHANE What’s the point of the information, though, if the Prime Minister, for example, he calls it ropey; the head of your own ministry, she has described it as unreliable.
HEKIA Well, what I have said all along is that it is variable. For the purposes of comparing schools, it is not reliable…
“Not reliable”?!?!
“NOT RELIABLE”???!!!
Key and National have spent millions of taxpayers’ dollars on implementing ‘National Standards’; have threatened schools that do not comply with demands for data; and have turned our education system on it’s head for something that is “not reliable“?!?!
I just about spat my coffee when I heard Parata utter those words.
If New Zealanders needed further proof that National is implementing loopy policies based more on weird right wing ideology than common sense – then Parata has provided it.
I ask my fellow New Zealanders who last year cast their vote for National; do you think that a Party that implements a policy that has such far-ranging implications on our schools and children’s education; that spends millions of our taxes on these “reforms”; that has been discredited internationally by other countries; only to learn that “for the purposes of comparing schools, it is not reliable” – does this make any sense to you?
If you were a National supporter last year, you may wish to reconsider just what it was that you voted for?
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II – National Standards Internationally
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‘National Standards’ was all but put to the sword this morning (1 October) on Radio NZ’s ‘Check Point’, as visiting overseas Education professionals explained that the system was simplistic, unproven, and based more of ideological expectations rather than any realities we know about.
Pasi Sahlberg from Finland’s Ministry of Education rejected national standards, charter schools or league tables. Which is startling – as Finland is in the top four of the OECD ranking of developed nations’ education performance. The other three are Japan, Canada and South Korea.
Listen to Pasi Sahlberg here on Radio NZ’s Morning Report – International experts pan government education policies
Sahlberg knows what he is talking about. (Which is why Finland is outperforming New Zealand’s educational outcomes.)
As outlined in my previous blogpost of this issue – See: Finland, some thoughts – the Finns have rejected the simplistic policies of national standards, charter schools, and league tables. They see these as little more than a neo-liberalised view of education; an attempt to implement competition; notions of “success” and “failure”; and the illusion of “choice”.
In fact, those with a fairly good memory will recall that previous National Governments tried precisely the same policies with our health system, implementing the CHE model for our hospitals.
Essentially “CHEs” were expected to compete against each other; drive down costs; become more efficient through “competition”; and all with less ands less funding.
Not only did it not work, but people on waiting lists – like Southland farmer, Colin Morrison – died waiting for life-saving medical procedures.
The Minister of Health at the time was Bill English.
See: Widow says little improvement seem
See: GP hits out at health reforms
Instead of adopting dumbed-down Americanised systems – which are the desperate clutchings of a failed market-driven society – it is worth thinking about the success story shown by nations such as Finland,
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” The flexible curriculum is set by the Ministry of Education and the Education Board. Education is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16. After lower secondary school, graduates may either enter the workforce directly, or apply to trade schools or gymnasiums (upper secondary schools). Trade schools prepare for professions. Academically oriented gymnasiums have higher entrance requirements and specifically prepare for Abitur and tertiary education. Graduation from either formally qualifies for tertiary education.
In tertiary education, two mostly separate and non-interoperating sectors are found: the profession-oriented polytechnics and the research-oriented universities. Education is free and living expenses are to a large extent financed by the government through student benefits. There are 20 universities and 30 polytechnics in the country. Helsinki University is ranked 75th in the Top University Ranking of 2010.
The World Economic Forum ranks Finland’s tertiary education #2 in the world. Around 33% of residents have a tertiary degree, similar to Nordics and more than in most other OECD countries except Canada (44%), United States (38%) and Japan(37%). The proportion of foreign students is 3% of all tertiary enrolments, one of the lowest in OECD, while in advanced programs it is 7.3%, still below OECD average 16.5%.
More than 30% of tertiary graduates are in science-related fields. Forest improvement, materials research, environmental sciences, neural networks, low-temperature physics, brain research, biotechnology, genetic technology and communications showcase fields of study where Finnish researchers have had a significant impact.
Finland had a long tradition of adult education, and by the 1980s nearly one million Finns were receiving some kind of instruction each year. Forty percent of them did so for professional reasons. Adult education appeared in a number of forms, such as secondary evening schools, civic and workers’ institutes, study centers, vocational course centers, and folk high schools. Study centers allowed groups to follow study plans of their own making, with educational and financial assistance provided by the state. Folk high schools are a distinctly Nordic institution. Originating in Denmark in the nineteenth century, folk high schools became common throughout the region. Adults of all ages could stay at them for several weeks and take courses in subjects that ranged from handicrafts to economics.
Finland is highly productive in scientific research. In 2005, Finland had the fourth most scientific publications per capita of the OECD countries. In 2007, 1,801 patents were filed in Finland. ”
Source: Wikipedia
Here’s a novel idea; why not chase Finland’s example rather than America, which is way down on the OECD education performance listing?
Why? Because Finland invests heavily in education. National’s screwy policies are about market-driven competition and cost-cutting.
Didn’t that work out well for CHEs and Colin Morrison?
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III – Christchurch School Closures – Back-down imminent?
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Hekia Parata’s statements, on Q+A (30 September), regarding school closures and amalgamations in quake-ravaged Christchurch, were not as hard-line as previously reported in the media.
In fact, Parata was at pains to insist that,
“We are following the process that is set out in the Education Act. We’re being very clear what the proposal is, and I and the Ministry of Education will listen to everything that is said by the community. There is no pre-determined outcome. We are listening.”
Up till this point, his blogger found it hard to work out National’s understanding of this crisis,
… that National was totally oblivious to the shock, trauma, and suffering of Christchurch residents after two major earthquakes that shattered their city, killing 185 people, and is foisting their brutish policies without considering their impact,
… or, that National understood the trauma felt by Christchurch residents – but was pushing ahead anyway.
Pressed by Taurima, Parata made this jaw-dropping confession,
” Well, look. School closures around the country under any administration around the country are always difficult. Here in Christchurch is a community that’s been under intolerable stress for a very long time. “
Christchurch “is a community that’s been under intolerable stress for a very long time“?!?!
So National – being a Party brimming over with humanitarian compassion – compounds the intolerable stress by adding to it?!
Now, I’ve no doubt that there is a sizeable faction of any society that has psycopathic tendencies and finds it hard to empathise with the misery of people who’ve survived a traumatic, destructive disaster.
But most New Zealanders are not cold-hearted, bean-counting, self-centered, quasi-psychopaths to whom the destruction of communities can be easily brushed aside in the pursuit of efficiencies. New Zealanders will view events unfolding in Christchurch with growing dismay.
Their thoughts will probably run along lines something like this,
” Bugger me! What if the Big One hit my town? Is this what National has in store for me, my family, and my community?”
This is when the Middle Classes start to feel… uneasy.
Expect opposition to grow in Christchurch.
Expect to see distraught families and crying children on our TV screens.
Expect to see National drop in the polls.
Expect to see Hekia Parata back down on this loathsome, inhuman issue.
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IV – Proposed School Closures & Electorates
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Planned Closures
Banks Avenue School – Christchurch Central – Nicky Wager (N) – Majority: 47
Branston Intermediate – Wigram – Megan Woods (L) – Majority: 1,500
Burnham School – Selwyn – Amy Adams (N) – Majority: 19,451
Burnside Primary School – Ilam – Gerry Brownlee (N) – Majority: 13,312
Duvauchelle School (becomes a hub of Akaroa Area School) – Selwyn – Amy Adams (N) – Majority: 19,451
Glenmoor School – Christchurch Central – Nicky Wager (N) – Majority: 47
Greenpark School – Wigram – Megan Woods (L) – Majority: 1,500
Hammersley Park School – Christchurch Central – Nicky Wager (N) – Majority: 47
Kendal School- Ilam – Gerry Brownlee (N) – Majority: 13,312
Le Bons Bay School – Selwyn – Amy Adams (N) – Majority: 19,451
Linwood Intermediate – Christchurch Central – Nicky Wager (N) – Majority: 47
Manning Intermediate – Wigram – Megan Woods (L) – Majority: 1,500
Okains Bay School (becomes a hub of Akaroa Area School) – Selwyn – Amy Adams (N) – Majority: 19,451
Ouruhia Model School – Christchurch East – Lianne Dalziel (L) – Majority: 5,334
Richmond School – Christchurch Central – Nicky Wager (N) – Majority: 47
Schools to close and merge
Schools to become Year 1 to 13:
Aranui High School – Christchurch East – Lianne Dalziel (L) – Majority: 5,334
Aranui School – Christchurch East – Lianne Dalziel (L) – Majority: 5,334
Avondale School – Christchurch East – Lianne Dalziel (L) – Majority: 5,334
Chisnallwood Intermediate – Christchurch East – Lianne Dalziel (L) – Majority: 5,334
Wainoni Primary School – Christchurch East – Lianne Dalziel (L) – Majority: 5,334
Mergers
Burwood School and Windsor School on Windsor School site – Christchurch East – Lianne Dalziel (L) – Majority: 5,334
Discovery One School and Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti as Year 1 to 13 school – Christchurch Central – Nicky Wager (N) – Majority: 47
Freeville and New Brighton North School – Christchurch East – Lianne Dalziel (L) – Majority: 5,334
Linwood Avenue School and Bromley School on Bromley School site – Port Hills – Ruth Dyson (L) – Majority: 3,097
Lyttleton Main School and Lyttleton West School – Port Hills – Ruth Dyson (L) – Majority: 3,097
Philipstown School and Woolston School (moving to new site) – Christchurch Central – Nicky Wager (N) – Majority: 47 — Port Hills – Ruth Dyson (L) – Majority: 3,097
South New Brighton School and Central New Brighton School – Christchurch East – Lianne Dalziel (L) – Majority: 5,334
Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o te Whanau and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Waitaha – Wigram – Megan Woods (L) – Majority: 1,500 — Port Hills – Ruth Dyson (L) – Majority: 3,097
Schools in Labour-held electorates: 22
Schools in National-held electorates: 14
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Sources
See: Q+A – Education Minister Hekia Parata (video)
See: Q+A – Education Minister Hekia Parata (transcript)
Radio NZ: 13 schools to close, others to merge in Christchurch
Wikipedia: New Zealand general election, 2011
Previous related blogpost
Christchurch, choice, and charter schools)
Additional
School standards report card ‘ropey’
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= fs =
From the National Party Politburo…
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The latest diktat from Commissar Parata: no more criticism of National Party policy will be tolerated.
This blogger now awaits the National Party hierarchy to send in state security (Police? Army? SIS?) to raid offices and homes of School Trustees.
As we saw with police raids on various media offices after the Teapot Tape debacle, National is not averse to using it’s State apparatus when it suits it’s agenda.
Tertiary Education Commissar, Steven Joyce issued similar instructions to University students, to cease their criticsms of National,
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So much for respect for freedom of speech.
Will blogs be next?
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= fs =
Tui time, Dear Leader?
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“Over time, as they get to see the merits of the overall programme and recognise what the Government’s trying to do, which is basically to build more assets for New Zealanders but not put more debt on the balance sheet, and as they have an opportunity to invest, I think they will warm to that. I think it will take some time but I think they will get there.”
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If Dear Leader thinks that the public will “warm” to the idea of asset sales, then he is further out of touch than I ever thought possible,
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Unless Dear Leader is privy to research that the rest of us are not, every poll thus far shows steadfast public opposition to asset sales. Even two polls on politicians’ websites – one, Peter Dunne, and another belonging to Bill English – showed a massive opposition tostate asset sales. (Neither polls are accessible on those websites, and have been taken down.
See: Is Peter Dunne about to become the Man of the Year?
As the first sale nears, National will find public antipathy and pressure increasing. National’s own internal polling is probably showing anger increasing and support for National dropping.
The next public opinion polls will be crucial. If National stays steady in poll ratings – the sale process will proceed.
If National drops below 40% in those polls – expect the sale process to go the same way as Hekia Parata’s plans to increase class-room sizes.
In which case, John Key’s only “exit strategy” is to “post-pone” the sales indefinitely and put the blame on an increasingly uncertain global situation.
Why not? He’s used that excuse countless times before.
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Other blogs
Tumeke: Why people hate John Key
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= fs =
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