“If that’s Chris Hipkin’s real mission, then I don’t like his chances this election.”
That was ACT Leader David Seymour, following Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ promise to scrap charter schools during TVNZ’s Leaders Debate on Tuesday.
Hipkins would later call Seymour’s associate Education Minister project “a failed experiment”.
The ACT Leader on Wednesday told Te Ao Māori News he invites the former prime minister to talk to iwi, students, and parents of those in Charter Schools.
“I would invite him to go up to Te Rito (Te Kura Taiao) in the Far North, which has outstanding attendance for Māori students, where a lot of people don’t trust the government and needs to get an education.
“I’d invite him to go to old Tipene, one of the most important schools in New Zealand history, one of the oldest school in Auckland, actually, closed down 20 years ago, reopened as a charter school, and tell those boys and their family, but he’s gonna shut down their school.
“I’d invite them to see Te Kāpehu Whetū just establishing themselves here in Auckland. I’d invite him to go to Ngāti Toa and tell them that he’s going to take away their charter school.”
He also invited the Labour leader to speak to parents of autistic children, as well as the four state school principals in Ōtautahi.
“Because they recognised they couldn’t help all the students. They needed to create another environment, and they have, and those students are now getting engaged, they’re learning, and most importantly, they’re building self-esteem and self-belief, ‘cause they’re in an environment where they can live.”
In 2024, Seymour planned to invest $153 million into creating 50 new charter schools across Aotearoa, bringing them back after Labour abolished them in 2018.
Ironically for Hipkins, Labour’s candidate Rakesh Naidoo sits on a charter school board.
What do Labour’s potential coalition partners think?
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson didn’t outright say whether she supported Hipkins’ pledge to scrap charter schools, but said the Greens plan to support kaupapa Māori kura and inclusive education schools that have already been established.
“We’ve always said that under the Public Schools Education Act, was the ability, for example, special character schools to make sure that we are providing an education that works for everyone. We know that the current system has not always done well for all students.
“But that’s about properly supporting our public education system, properly funding it, properly supporting teachers and paying them what they’re worth.”
She said it would “not be fair to destroy the future for those Tamariki” in the charter schools that are currently stood, with plans for a “just transition”.
“So, we will look at a just transition of keeping those schools that have been stood up, especially for our iwi. I have spoken with them about this, but we do need to maintain the strength and the resourcing in public education,” said Davidson.
Te Ao Māori News reached out to Te Pāti Māori, but has not received a response as of the time of publication.
