14 February 2013

Key should appoint new Minister after Salisbury consultation sham

John Key must remove Hekia Parata as Education Minister after revelations the Government signed off on plans to close Salisbury School for girls a year before Ms Parata embarked on a sham three month consultation over its future, the Green Party said today.

Salisbury Residential School has written to John Key asking him to appoint someone other than the Education Minister Hekia Parata to determine the future of the school for girls with severe intellectual and physical disabilities.

“They say Hekia Parata can’t be trusted to make an unbiased decision over the school’s future after her decision to close it was ruled unlawful, but I’d take that further. She has proven herself unable to be trusted with her entire portfolio,” Green Co-leader Metiria Turei said.

“Official documents show the previous Education Minister signed off on a process to merge Salisbury with Hallswell School, and create one national residential school for children with intellectual disabilities,13 months before Hekia Parata approached Salisbury to consult on its future. It was a further three months before Ms Parata said she had ‘decided’ to close the school.

“All along Hekia Parata has pretended to have an open mind about the schools, but these documents, filed in the High Court, show that Salisbury never stood a chance. The consultation was a sham.

“That comes on top of the High Court ruling last year that Ms Parata’s decision to close Salisbury in August 2012 was unlawful because neither she nor her Minister considered the risks to Salisbury’s girls if the school was merged with a residential boys school.

“The Green Party believes in free, inclusive, public education, where all children’s needs can be met in their own community, but only if they can be safe.

“Hekia Parata’s treatment of Salisbury’s incredibly vulnerable students has been proven morally and legally wrong and the decision process has been tainted by her unwillingness to listen, or put the welfare of children first.

“It is inconceivable that Hekia Parata can make an objective decision on Salisbury or stay as education Minister.

“This is the same Minister who botched up over class sizes, failed to listen to or respect the children and schools of Christchurch, wants untrained teachers in schools and signed off on Novopay going live.

“Young people need a Minister who backs them and a free, strong public education system,” Mrs Turei said.

ENDS

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Mighty River: 'Mum And Dad’ Investors Myth Busted

Green Party research, confirmed by Treasury, shows that half of the shares in Mighty River Power that National sold to retail investors went to just 13,000 people and that 10 percent of the retail shares went to just 400 wealthy people and organisations, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.

The sale of Mighty River Power saw 113,000 retail investors, referred to as ‘mum and dad’ investors by the National Government, buy 26.9 percent of the company. Analysis by the Greens and Treasury shows that half of those shares were, in fact, purchased by fewer than 13,000 people who bought an average of nearly $35,000 worth of shares...

“The truth is that 98 percent of New Zealanders bought no shares at all. Half the retail shares went to just 0.3 percent of the population, and a tiny group of just 400 wealthy individuals and organisations got 10 percent of the retail shares. More>>