With its significant boost to the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in schools, the Education and Training Bill is another instance of the insidious shift of power and authority in government agencies. This Bill will confer undue rights on Maori to influence the education of our children and young people.
Please do not let this Bill go unchallenged! Make a submission on this very important issue.
The changes to New Zealand schools include amending school board objectives to “ensure school governance is underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi and relevant student rights”.
The Bill proposes to elevate the importance of the Treaty to the same level as the key objective of our education system, namely, ensuring “every student is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement”.
Furthermore, school boards will be required to ensure that their plans, policies and local curriculum reflect local tikanga, mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori.
Please take a look at Section 9, which outlines these and other provisions relating to ‘Te Tiriti o Waitangi’.
Also look at Section 6 ‘Statement of expectations’. This enables the Ministers of Education and Māori-Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti, after consultation with Māori, to jointly issue a statement specifying what education agencies must do to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi expectations in the Public Service Legislation Bill.
If you do not have time to read the Bill in its entirety, see the Education Department’s summary of the Bill by clicking HERE.
The Hobson’s Pledge website has a list of other provisions in the Bill that transfer powers to Maori – to read please click HERE.
You may have your say on the Bill by going to the Government’s ‘Make a Submission’ page . The closing date is Friday, 14 February 2020
Only your name or organisation’s name is required on a submission. (Please keep your contact details separate, as if they are included on the submission, they will become publicly available when the submission is released).
If you wish to speak to your submission, please state this clearly.
Click HERE for an example of a brief submission, with some ideas on points you could make. (Though please do not copy word-for-word).
What else you can do:
Contact New Zealand First MPs, and ACT's David Seymour to voice your concerns.
Email or write (Freepost Parliament) to NZ First MPs: Winston Peters, Darroch Ball, Mark Patterson, Ron Mark, Shane Jones, Clayton Mitchell, Fletcher Tabuteau and Tracey Martin
And David Seymour (ACT)
Media coverage
RNZ: Education Minister Chris Hipkins details changes in big new bill
Politik: Treaty to be at centre of education