Mallard Rolls Over For Winston

Education Minister Trevor Mallard has committed his most cowardly and unprincipled act yet in endorsing the call by New Zealand First for a cap on foreign student numbers, ACT Education Spokesman Donna Awatere Huata said today.

"Mr Mallard has ignored the facts and sold his own values to win back votes from a bunch of populist, unprincipled politicians.

"Our country is not flooded with foreign students.

"This move is not just blatantly anti-Asian, it is anti-New Zealand. Export education brings over one billion dollars to New Zealand every year. This income funds opportunities for every child that we'd otherwise lack. Foreign fee-paying students bring diversity and life to our classrooms. They are welcome.

"After his time in office, I have very low expectations of Mr Mallard, but even those were let down today. I will wait to see what sort of "cap" or "halt" he proposes, but I promise the Minister that ACT New Zealand will fight tooth-and-nail any measure to bring race-based quotas to our classrooms," Mrs Awatere Huata said.

© Scoop Media