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Leader's LetterMarch 2007
Investing in our Nation’s FutureNew Zealand First has as one of its fifteen founding principles a statement that expenditure on education will not be considered as a cost to the taxpayer but rather as an investment in the future of our nation. In consequence of this principle during New Zealand First’s brief period in coalition government in 1997 and 1998 it ensured that annual baseline expenditure on education was increased by more than a billion dollars per year, funding which continues to flow through each year. Whilst recognising the importance of formal education New Zealand First nevertheless acknowledges that education occurs first and foremost in the home and believes that this truism needs support in policy and practice. This is why we are seeking to develop a comprehensive package of parent support and guidance programmes including programmes such as Family Start, Parents As First Teachers (PAFT), Home Instruction Programme for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) and other similar programmes. We would combine all parent-caregiver support programmes under the umbrella of a single agency and ensure there was nation-wide coverage of all programmes. New Zealand First would increase the discretionary grants available to communities for building and upgrading early childhood facilities in order to increase participation ratios. We would also extend funding for more than six hours per day, better reflecting the working reality of many parents. We would also establish a policy framework around which decisions can be made whether to support any particular proposal for immersion programmes. At present this happens in a totally ad hoc fashion which is unsatisfactory. At the compulsory level, New Zealand First believes that the most pressing problem the system faces is how to bring back the joy into teaching. Since decision-making was devolved to schools back in 1989, compliance requirements and paper work have steadily increased. From financial reporting requirements equivalent to that expected of Fonterra to ERO’s demands for schools to show tangible evidence that a "difference" is being made, paperwork requirements have piled up to the extent that teachers are left no time for the most critical part of the job, interaction with the students. Sometimes it’s no more than having a bit of fun, sometimes it’s interacting to assist a student with a personal issue but it is the guts of what teaching is about. New Zealand First would establish a task force to examine just exactly how teachers are filling their time with a view to identifying and eradicating tasks unnecessary to the learning of the student and based solely on meeting bureaucratic whims. New Zealand First also believes that if we wish to build a strong profession for the future this cannot happen with the adversarial model of industrial relations upon which we currently operate. Such a model puts teachers at constant loggerheads with the Government when in fact we need to develop a constructive partnership. We would explore a new system for the establishment of teachers’ pay and conditions which will ensure New Zealand maintains the best quality teaching force in the world and children do not lose educational time through teacher strikes. It never fails to amaze that the norm for preparation as a teacher is at least four years of graduate study and yet these same people are to be seen standing out in the rain doing crossing duty. Surely teachers have more constructive work they could be doing than playtime and lunchtime duty. If we wish to increase the adult to student ratios we cannot just continue to improve teacher to student ratios. New Zealand First proposes the establishment of a paraprofessional class of educational worker with significantly greater levels of training than current teacher aides and with significantly better remuneration. We also believe there is merit in establishing paraprofessional positions into scheduled staffing providing greater levels of security and tenure. New Zealand First would provide schools with the necessary support to develop policies and programmes which will proactively meet their obligations under the National Curriculum Framework to develop values. In particular we would assist schools in examining their hidden curriculum in this respect. We acknowledge some schools have made heroic efforts with regards to values education in the absence of any direct assistance from the Ministry. Finally, New Zealand First believes that New Zealand has a very good education system and a teaching force to be applauded. We hold no truck with political parties, which, for point scoring purposes, undermine public confidence in the existing system, but will look for continuous improvement. We would challenge anyone to find any statement made by a New Zealand First MP in the history of our party which could be described as a "teacher-bashing" statement. Brian Donnelly MP
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