Maori Party demands Maori reps on Polytechs

Te Ururoa Flavell, Education spokesperson                          15 December 2009

The Maori Party today submitted a Supplementary Order Paper to the Education (Polytechnics) Amendment Bill, seeking a guarantee of Maori representation on Polytech councils.

“The Maori Party has consistently sought Maori representation on community and local governance, as a way to improve decision-making,” said Education spokesperson Te Ururoa Flavell.

“Tertiary Education has been identified as a critical threshhold for access to the full benefits of citizenship – stable employment, higher income, family security and capacity to contribute to the wider community,” said Mr Flavell.

“We believe the governing bodies of Polytechs should represent the communities they serve, as well as being accountable to the Government for the public funding they receive.

“We opposed this Bill at first reading, but supported it at second reading so we could explore different models of shared governance, for instance, the Waiariki Polytech structure. However it appears we cannot achieve that through this Bill.

“We agree that Maori representation is essential for the Polytechs to meet the expectations of their communities. That is why we put forward a Supplementary Order Paper to provide for that,” he said.

“We have informed the government that, if our SOP is voted down, we will not be able to support the Bill in its present form,” said Mr Flavell.

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