Christchurch schools consultation a sham

Comments by the Minister of Education today in Parliament have sent a clear message to Cantabrians – the government’s current consultation process around the future of schooling in greater Christchurch is a total sham, Labour’s Associate Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.

“Hekia Parata began an ‘open consultation’ on 13 September but confirmed in the House today that she will be writing to school boards within days to formally begin the legal process to implement her plan to close and merge schools.

“To make matters worse, documents from the Ministry of Education tabled in the House today suggest they only envisage a formal consultation process of five to six weeks, which just so happens to coincide with school holidays and senior student exams.

“There is no way the Government can get meaningful information from teachers, parents and children during the exam and holiday period. This whole process looks like a sham and sounds like a sham, because it is a sham. Hekia Parata has clearly already made her mind up.

“This is another classic Hekia Parata botch up. In the House today she couldn’t even say who she has consulted, the Speaker was forced to give her helpful hints to provide an answer. The best we could get out of her was, ‘I consulted the submissions that had been submitted’. That gives me no confidence in this process.

“The people of Christchurch have been through enough trauma in the past two years. Rather than engaging in a meaningful way with those affected, Hekia Parata seems determined to add to the stress,” Chris Hipkins says.