Tracey Martin MP
Spokesperson for Education
14 February 2013

Cup Of Tea Charter Schools – Another Sign Of A Weak Government

It’s time the National Party showed some guts and ditched the shonky ideas of its coalition partner says New Zealand First education spokesperson Tracey Martin.

The Education and Science Committee is hearing submissions on the Education Amendment Bill covering charter schools in Christchurch on Friday.

Ms Martin says National no longer needs the vote of the ACT Party for their asset sales programme and should have the courage to break the charter schools coalition agreement it made over a cup of tea.

“The so-called partnership schools have the potential to seriously damage our world-leading education system, giving them the power to throw the curriculum out the window.

“They’ll lack openness and transparency, shunning the usual constitutional safeguards by exempting the schools from the Official Information Act and the Ombudsman’s Act. Even Chief Ombudsman Beverley Wakeham is worried.

“Charter schools will also become a cash cow for foreign investors who can operate multiple schools and receive handsome dividends at the expense of New Zealand taxpayers.

“If the government can’t bring themselves to scrap the deal they made with ACT, then at the very least they need to recognise that a restricted trial must be put in place with strict timelines for results.

“Considering the recent Novopay debacle it is no wonder the country has lost confidence in the Government’s ability to successfully hold contract holders to account.

“The Government has no mandate for this move and once again puts profits above democracy,” says Ms Martin.

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ENDS

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