Thursday 27 Jun 2002

ACT Education Spokesman Donna Awatere Huata will tonight launch a pressure group of concerned parents and education professionals who want to eliminate unfair school zoning.

"Tonight I have the privilege of meeting with education professionals and concerned parents who have organised to battle zoning.

"No other party has shown a true commitment to eliminating unfairness in our schools. ACT is proud to take on the issues that matter to New Zealand families.

"It is completely unacceptable that parents in New Zealand are forced to offer bribes to get their kids to schools.

"Zoning traps children and forces them to attend dysfunctional, ghetto schools. If you're not rich, your child loses. Education shouldn't be based on that level of bigoted inequity.

"The only way to eliminate unfairness is to dump enrolment schemes. Currently, the Ministry even approves schemes with a predicted maximum roll less than the capacity. This is an indefensible case of social engineering," Mrs Awatere Huata said.

Tonight's meeting will be followed by a similar one in Auckland next week.

Ends

© Scoop Media