"It is both sad and ironic that charter schools will now be overseen by an ex-union boss”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

Chris Hipkins has announced that former NZEI president Bruce Adin will oversee an advisory group to replace the Partnership Schools Authorisation Board that resigned in protest in March.

“This shows just how close Labour is to the union movement.

“Chris Hipkins, right from the very start of his tenure as Education Minister, has put the teachers' unions ahead of tamariki.

Hipkins also announced that, after months unrelenting bullying of the fledgling schools, all charter schools have decided to join the state system from which their students originally fled.

"Today is a sad day for educational choice and for the disadvantaged children who were so well-served by these innovative schools.

"The decision to strip away their educational opportunities will irreparably damage the Prime Minister who said that she would put children at the heart of everything her Government did", says Mr Seymour.

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