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ACT’s new regular bulletin

12 Days Until ACT Conference: New Zealand the Way You Want It

Registrations are well ahead of schedule from last year. ACT is resurgent. However ACT supporters are notorious last-minute registrants. You can see the program on our website. If you have not yet registered, please do.

Partnership School Success

ACT’s policy is providing more opportunity within New Zealand’s education system. During the election campaign, opponents of Partnership Schools blanketed Epsom with anti-David Seymour leaflets and posters. It didn’t work, but they continue their attacks on the schools. Are they really concerned that five (soon to be nine) smallish schools will fail, or that they will grow and succeed?

Growth and Momentum

Contrary to claims that the schools are losing students, Radio New Zealand reports enrolments have grown from 360 to 440 at the first five schools. This month former Alliance MP Willie Jackson and All Black legend Sir Michael Jones have opened Partnership Schools. The policy is working and has momentum.

Equal Funding, Quality Teaching

In yesterday’s Sunday-Star Times, David Seymour addressed the myths behind Partnership School funding and the qualification requirements for the schools’ teachers. The schools are able to negotiate for some teaching positions to be filled by staff not registered with the Teachers’ Council. However they must show what skills, experience, and qualifications these staff bring to help students succeed. In practice the overwhelming majority of Partnership School teachers are registered with the Council.

Hypocrisy

In December the nationwide teachers’ payroll was matched to the register of teachers. 5,405 were found to be teaching without a certificate. There were no howls of outrage from those who complain about the handful of Partnership School teachers who are not registered with the Council.

Failed Overseas? Not even close

In the jurisdictions that have had charter-type policies for some time, Alberta (Canada), Sweden, and the United States, how is the policy fairing? In Alberta it is no contest – a recent report from C.D. Howe, one of Canada’s most respected think tanks, found that the schools significantly outperform public schools after allowing for student characteristics. In the U.S. the most authoritative report is from Stanford’s Center for Research on Educational Outcomes. Their 2009 report found mixed results, but their 2013 report found that Charter Schools have overtaken their Public School opponents for academic performance. In Sweden, Free Schools are widely accepted to outperform council schools after numerous studies.

Doing Labour’s Job

Labour’s problem is that they no longer know who they represent. Once upon a time Education Minister and later Prime Minister Peter Fraser said: ‘The Government’s objective, broadly expressed, is that every person, whatever his level of academic ability, whether he be rich or poor, whether he live in town or country, has a right as a citizen, to a free education of the kind for which he is best fitted, and to the fullest extent of his powers.’ That’s what ACT’s Partnership Schools policy is delivering.

Tall Poppy Syndrome Writ Large

Imagine a world where the education establishment and political opposition are focused on what is best for our kids and actually welcome this policy as an opportunity for New Zealand’s children. They have every right to question the details of the policy in a constructive way. But imagine them celebrating the schools’ successes, admiring the men and woman going out on a limb to operate the schools, and respecting the choices of the families and children who enrol at them. Sad that we have to imagine it.

ACT Rescues City Rail Link

The mischievous light rail proposal in Auckland is makes more sense than the City Rail Link. ACT has a ratepayer-friendly solution. Chicago’s rail is elevated above street level on an elegant steel framework. Auckland could connect the Britomart and Grafton stations with an elevated track up Hobson Street and over Grafton Gully. Doing so would save a fortune. It would allow all the benefits of making Britomart a through station (increased frequency of trains across the city) without reliance on central government funding. Let’s explore this option.

Reaching Out

ACT was at Auckland’s ‘Big Gay Out’ on Sunday. Our stall got plenty of action as we asked members of the crowd, ‘are you a closet ACT supporter?’ The audience was receptive, the feeling was good, and voters got to see ACT’s liberal side as we celebrated New Zealand’s diverse society. This weekend we will be at Greenlane’s Chinese New Year Festival. Come and say hello.

The Northland By-election

Northland is an opportunity for ACT to build its campaign machine. ACT’s board has opened nominations for the candidate to contest the by election. It is a long neglected region of enormous potential. The east coast is the best coastline in the world and the climate is the best in New Zealand. ACT will be campaigning for Northland to finally get its fair share.

Freedom Ain’t Free

ACT is already campaigning for 2017. Politics is about money, members and meetings. If you are not a member of ACT, you can join here. Membership lists are secret, but your number adds moral weight to the party. If you would like to help us campaign, you can donate here:www.act.org.nz/donate So far as the meetings, don’t forget our conference in less than two weeks’ time.

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