Labour Spokesperson for Education, Willow-Jean Prime, has called Education Minister Erica Stanford out for “government overreach” after it was announced on Tuesday that schools were under no obligation anymore to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi.
“E takatakahi ana tenei Minita i te mana o a tatou kaiako tumuaki hoki, ko tenei he tohutohu kia ratou me pehea te mahi i a ratou mahi,” said Prime.
“He takahi hoki i te mana o te Tiriti o Waitangi.”
She called it the “Treaty Principles Bill by stealth”, with her questioning who was consulted for the change.
“So this is the Minister determining what the treaty relationship should be, what Māori academic achievement and success looks like. Who has she consulted with? Where is the evidence that supports the changes that she is making, that supports that this change that she is making is going to have a better outcome for our tauira? I would like to hear what Māori educators have to say about it.”
Stanford told media that there was no interest in politics when it came to education.
“All I care about is outcomes for kids, and that’s what parents expect, and for tamariki Māori, and the government that has made inroads into raising achievement for Māori kids in the last two decades is our government.”
The Minister was clear that the government would give direction on the schools’ treaty duty.
“It is a Crown responsibility to honour the treaty and to make sure that we are upholding our obligations under the treaty. School boards should have direction, and we are giving very clear direction. You need to ensure equitable outcomes for Māori students, you need to be offering te reo Māori, and you need to be culturally competent.
“We don’t want [school boards] sitting around trying to decipher what a treaty duty is. That clearly sits with me, and I take that responsibility very seriously.”
The move has received support from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who stated it was sending a “very clear message” to the school boards.
“We want more academic achievement, we want them ruthlessly focused on that as their number one job, and we don’t want any more distractions from that,” He said.
In response, Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins said Luxon hadn’t spent much time on the research of “what actually makes a difference in kids’ education”.
“This government has chosen to reject most of that instead of focusing on bumper sticker slogans .”
He called the move a step backwards and shouldn’t be what the coalition was focusing on at this time.
