Hekia Parata must be sacked

The Prime Minister should sack his Education Minister after her latest and most dangerous failure has left her position untenable, the Green Party said today.

"The High Court's finding yesterday that Hekia Parata had ignored warnings that she was putting disabled girls at risk of abuse with the merger of two special schools must be her last mistake as Minister," Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei said.

"Hekia Parata's blatant disregard for the safety of girls at Salisbury College in Nelson must be the final straw.

"Ms Parata's unwillingness to listen has now been proven by the High Court and has serious implications for the decisions the Minister is poised to make about the fate of Christchurch schools.

"This was not just a simple mistake, but a dangerous and extraordinarily arrogant refusal to regard the warnings about the safety of extremely vulnerable students.

"What kind of Minister would put school girls in harm's way? You simply can' t have someone in the job who does that.

"The students and parents of New Zealand, and those across the education sector, have lost faith in this Minister to do her job in the best interest of children.

"Now, surely the Prime Minister must have lost faith in her too.

"The education sector is bruised and battered by this Minister and needs a fresh start next year with a new minister who is prepared to listen and to put the needs of children first," Mrs Turei said.