John --
I began the Parliamentary year with a focus on getting kids back to
school.
Most New Zealanders will be shocked to learn that in 2019 only 58
per cent of students attended school regularly. The figure was a bit
higher last year, but still only 64 per cent, and that figure was
affected by the swings and roundabouts of Covid.
That means of the 850,000 children at school during the compulsory
years, more than 300,000 aren’t attending regularly.
That’s 300,000 missed opportunities, and a national disgrace.
No wonder our overall achievement is falling, and that it’s the 20
or 30 per cent of students with the worst results that are most
concerning.
We have to end the culture of excuses for this. It will be my
focus as Education spokesperson.
Aside from a new Green MP locked up in managed isolation, all the
MPs turned up back to our school this week.
The National team is determined to hold the Government to account
and to start the long, hard road back to political success.
Labour, by contrast, has become arrogant very quickly.
It’s decision to ram through urgent legislation to deprive
communities of the right to binding referendum on Maori wards on
councils, is a case in point.
Labour’s election manifesto in 2020 said, ‘Labour will ensure that
major decisions about local democracy involve full participation of
the local population from the outset’.
Returned to Government, they have casually broken that promise, and
put a law through taking the local populations’ wishes out of the
equation.
As Simon Bridges said, Maori are perfectly capable of being elected
to councils as it is, and are represented well.
Extending Maori seats on local councils is taking us in the wrong
direction, away from simply treating all New Zealanders the same.
Back in Epsom, I’m now sharing my Great South Road office, near the
Market Road shops, with Melissa Lee. Come down some time to see
us.
Paul Goldsmith http://paulgoldsmith.national.org.nz/
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