MEDIA STATEMENT
Hon Tariana Turia and Hon Dr Pita Sharples
Maori Party Co-Leaders
4 June 2013

The Māori Party has supported the third reading of the Education Amendment Bill.

“Just last week, the Auditor-General released her report into ‘Education for Māori’, in which she revealed that there were hopes that Ka Hikitia would lead to the “transformational change that education experts and particularly Māori education experts, have been awaiting for decades.   Although there has been progress, this transformation has not yet happened”.

“Whānau can not wait for the education system as a whole to crank up a notch, and immediately deliver improved outcomes for Māori students.   While we must address the systemic improvements in Ka Hikitia, the Māori Education Strategy, we must also be open to any model which can urgently assist in lifting Māori participation, engagement and achievement’.

“Whānau and kura Māori have told us that Kura Hourua is one such model which will enable tangata whenua to exercise rangatiratanga  - that is, maximum responsibility and maximum accountability’.

“Māori educational experts, kōhanga reo, general stream education, kura and iwi advocates have all told us that they see an opportunity in this model”.

“All of our current MPs have helped champion kura kaupapa Māori within their rohe, long before kura became acceptable to the administrators.   They have fund-raised to provide the teacher salaries or to equip a facility, fit for purpose.   That experience has grounded them with an appreciation that we need to welcome innovation of philosophy, of structures, if we are to create the momentum to achieve results we can all be proud of.

“Kura Hourua will allow communities to play a greater role in determining how best to educate their children.   We know that ultimately it is not the structure of the school that will drive success, it’s the leadership, the philosophy, the teachers and whānau engagement.   Our support for Kura Hourua represents that we are open to new approaches that will support educational liberation for our whānau, hapū and iwi".

ENDS

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