Hon Hekia Parata

Minister of Pacific Island Affairs
 
22 May 2012      

Media Statement       
 
Minister Welcomes NCEA Results From Pacific Mentoring Programme
 
Pacific Island Minister, Hekia Parata, congratulates the students mentored under the Pacific Employment Services Scheme [PESS] who have achieved higher than usual NCEA pass rates.
 
Under the PESS, established in January 2011, the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs contracts providers to help build skills, educational achievement and employment outcomes among young Pacific people.
 
Two of the providers under this scheme, C-ME Mentoring Trust [C-ME] and SENZ, have been working alongside 30 students and their secondary schools over the past year with outstanding results. The C-ME students have posted pass rates at NCEA Levels 2 of 100 per cent and the SENZ students 80 per cent at Levels 2 and 3.
 
“I congratulate every one of the students on their success.
 
“One of the Government’s priorities, under Better Public Services, is that 85 per cent of 18 year olds will have NCEA Level 2 in 2016. It is encouraging to see that work already underway is gaining momentum,” says Ms Parata.
 
“A strong education system and positive achievement results are paramount for our young Pacific people.”
 
The Pacific population is the fastest naturally-growing population in New Zealand. By 2026, one in 10 people will be of Pacific descent.
 
“We want to ensure that as the number of Pacific people of working age grows we are supporting them to become skilled contributors to the economy. A strong educational foundation gives better life choices and this is key to contributing to the economy.”
 
The PESS is delivered by four providers in the Auckland region supporting 434 Pacific students.

ENDS

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