Hone Harawira
MANA Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau

Parata Fails Maori Education

19th February 2013

“The announcements made yesterday about the future of Christchurch schooling confirms that Parata doesn’t give a shit about Maori education” comments MANA Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau.

“The PM said at Ratana that he dares anybody to find someone else who cares more about Maori education than Hekia Parata. I could name a million people before hers and even then she’d be way down the list”.

“Who in their right mind would shut down the hubs of the communities of Eastern Christchurch; the low decile schools of Linwood Intermediate, Phillipstown, and Richmond where the percentage of Maori and Pasifika kids is high. I’d be interested to know how the Minister intends to get these kids to schools in other suburbs when they are going to have to travel further from communities that are really feeling the pinch under the current government”.

“Now she is going to make other schools in Eastern Christchurch sweat until she makes her mind up which school will live and which will die. The process is like pin the tail on the donkey; wherever the dart lands on the map, then the school nearest will become history. The East Christchurch schools of Aranui, Avondale, Wainoni Primary, Chisnalwood Intermediate and Aranui High are now going through the same cruel joke that was played on the city’s two Kura Kaupapa as Parata threatened to take a step backwards for Maori medium education”.

“Haven’t the folks of East Christchurch been through enough? They’ve already been smashed over, let alone being smashed over again by a heartless Minister who pretends to care about Maori education. Just like a Tui ad, “Find me anybody who cares more about Maori education than Hekia Parata: Yeah Right”.

ENDS

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