Hobson’s Pledge is a grassroots organisation dedicated to advocating for equality under the law and for New Zealand to move forward as one people.

“We have run many campaigns over the years criticising ministers and politicians from all parties. We have never seen a minister go off the deep end like Erica Stanford has in the last 48 hours,” Elliot Ikilei, Hobson’s Pledge spokesperson says.

“On the one hand, on Hosking this morning, Minister Stanford acknowledged repeatedly that there are ‘legitimate questions’ to be asked about the inclusion of Treaty clauses and embedding matauranga Māori, te ao Māori and te reo in education legislation. On the other, she referred to us as ‘frothing at the mouth with hatred’ for raising those very questions.”

“The Education Minister is clearly furious that we have drawn attention to her moving the section 127(2)e clause under the heading ‘Paramount objective of boards in governing schools’. Her explosion on Mike Hosking’s show makes that clear. So does the fact that one of her supporters showed up at the address used by Hobson’s Pledge yesterday to pass on the message that we are ‘wrong’ and that we are risking Labour getting re-elected by challenging her on this. Our trustees also received strongly worded correspondence from donors of Minister Stanford urging us to back down from this. We will not.

“What is the point in keeping Labour out if politicians like Erica Stanford do the very things we don't want Labour to do? She points out the clauses have existed for a long time thanks to Labour. Well, she’s the minister – now is the time to take them out! This Government wasn't voted in to just keep on rolling out the same agenda of Māorification of all legislation!

“The minister needs to understand that support is earned, not an entitlement. She says we are compromising ‘all the work she has done’, but the ’sideshow’ of section 127 is her creation. The Education and Training Amendment Bill No. 2 submissions closed after being open for less than a month and with little or no effort to bring it to the public’s attention. That left us with no choice but to bring attention to it now.

“Erica Stanford cannot continue to talk out of both sides of her mouth. When discussing section 127, she told the select committee ‘We’re supporting a bilingual education system’. But she told Mike Hosking the opposite. She also told the select committee one of the things that she is most proud of was the emphasis she has put on Māori in section 127.

“The Education Minister knows there is no intention to remove section 127(2)e. The waffle about Paul Goldsmith’s review is meant to make us all shut up and get back in our boxes. We see through this and that is why she is so angry. Why insert the section if you are going to remove it with some other process? Just don’t put it in the Bill in the first place.

“Our message to the minister is simple: remove section 127(2)e and call off the attack dogs. Calling us names doesn’t achieve anything except show New Zealanders that Erica Stanford considers it ‘hatred’ to expect the government to fulfil its promises of getting rid of race-based policies and laws. Equality isn’t hatred. Most New Zealanders want their kids to go to school and learn respect for all cultures, but if they want Māori immersion they can send them to a kura Kaupapa.

“And, if as the minister exasperatedly says, the whole point of the Bill and her work is reading, writing, and maths, why is that not in her ‘paramount objectives’ section?”

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