We will end up short of teachers and there aren't enough teachers
and class rooms and
they have no solutions for that problem. Paul
Goldsmith. It
solutions for that problem. Paul Goldsmith. It is a great pleasure to
take a call in
Goldsmith. It is a great pleasure to take a call in this
estimates debate and talk about the considerable
and ongoing investment
ongoing investment that this Government makes in the tertiary
ongoing investment that this education sector particularly. This
Budget totals
education sector particularly. This
year that we invest in the tertiary year that we invest in the tertiary
sector plus another
year that we invest in the tertiary
for support for students. We do that because of the powerful,
powerful contribution that
because of the powerful, powerful
New Zealanders, partly in terms of equipping them with the skills
and the knowledge they need in order
to contribute, get a good
job and contribute to our economy and
our country and to better understand the
world in which
country and to better understand the world in which they live and in
which their
world in which they live and in which their families live. But
also, we also contribute to
tertiary education because we can see the
thought
education because we can see the thought leadership and innovation
that has developed
thought leadership and innovation that has developed out of our
university sectors, particularly,
but also across
university sectors, particularly, but also across the tertiary sector
so
but also across the tertiary sector so that that can contribute
to the making our companies more
internationally competitive,
making our companies more internationally competitive, yes,
but
internationally competitive, yes, but also to better delivering
evidence upon which we in Government and the broader community, can make
contributing to finding solutions to many of the challenges
that we make. So many of
the university researchers are deeply involved
in the national science challenges
and many of those areas in which we
as a Government continue to
invest heavily into that issue, into that
area. When I look
heavily into that issue, into that area. When I look at the
tertiary sector as a whole I
see it breaking down into four parts. Part
of it is all around a lot of investment we
make
all around a lot of investment we make at that foundation level, which
is trying to find that
make at that foundation level, which is trying to find that spark of
inspiration for young
is trying to find that spark of inspiration for young people
who haven't come out of the schooling
system connected
haven't come out of the schooling system connected yet
and really trying to reconnect
them with education so that they can get
back into learning and into a job. We
have a
into learning and into a job. We have a number of programmes that we
fund such
have a number of programmes that we fund such as youth guarantee, the
SAC level
fund such as youth guarantee, the SAC level 1 reign
2 funding, Maori and Pacific Trade training and
a whole bunch of schemes
designed to reconnect those kid. Our focus over
the next
reconnect those kid. Our focus over the next little while will be
continuing
the next little while will be continuing to evaluate them.
Some work very well and
some work brilliantly in one part of the
country in
brilliantly in one part of the country in Gisborne but not so
well in the south island. Others will
work well in
in the south island. Others will work well in other areas. The focus
is
work well in other areas. The focus is on the effectiveness of
those regimes. We want to make sure
they work effectively to
try to reduce that group. Next is
the broader skills category with we
are trying
Productivity Commission report that will
Productivity Commission report that
be delivering our response to shortly. It is all about trying to
ensure that
shortly. It is all about trying to ensure that the system is
generating the skills that we need as an
economy right
the skills that we need as an economy right here, right now. We're
in the
economy right here, right now. We're in the situation where more than
11,000
in the situation where more than 11,000 jobs have
been created every month. There is a desperate
11,000 jobs have been created every
is a real call out for skills in so many areas. Our tertiary sector is
capable of delivering those
many areas. Our tertiary sector is capable of delivering those skills
and we
capable of delivering those skills and we want to ensure that it
continues to do that
and we want to ensure that it continues to do that over the next
years and
continues to do that over the next years and is
responsive and innovative and that
students have the information that they
have available to them to
make wise choices about the courses
available to them to make wise the
available to them to make wise take. So there is a lot of
work going on in that area and
that is why this Budget that we're
talking about has increased the
overall funding for tuition rates across
the funding for tuition rates across the
board. Other
funding for tuition rates across the board. Other areas
are around ensuring that we maintain that real
universities so that New Zealanders have access to that and that is
why we continue to put extra resources
into
we continue to put extra resources into the PBRF,
we continue to put extra resources
responds and reflects to the higher responds and reflects to the higher
quality research side
responds and reflects to the higher quality research side of
what universities do. We continue and can
consistently
universities do. We continue and can consistently invested in that area
as we
consistently invested in that area as we have in the broader
science factor, which a significant
amount of our science funding,
a year is channelled through The a year is channelled through The
Treasury sector as
a year is channelled through The Treasury sector as well. On the
international side the Budget has extra resources for Education NZ,
4.5 billion
extra resources for Education NZ, 4.5 billion industry, very
important for employers. Upwards of 30,000
New Zealanders. We don't take the view
that you should slash
Zealanders. We don't take the view that you should slash the
whole industry in half as
some other parties do. We think it is
an important industry and it is about
diverse feeing the New Zealand
economy and the focus
diverse feeing the New Zealand economy and the focus should be
on dealing with poor performance
that undoubtedly there is in
areas of that sector where we have got the
regulators
that sector where we have got the regulators working very hard in that
area to rein
regulators working very hard in that area to rein in poor
performance but overall a very important sector and
we
overall a very important sector and we continue to support
Delahunty.
this estimates debate is always this estimates debate is always
worth participating in because there is such a huge gap
between the rhetoric and what we say and
all the numbers we throw around in
this House and then what happens when you
go
House and then what happens when you go out and talk to people. There
is such a big credibility gap in. The