[NZCPR-Weekly] Being Passionate About Education
This week, we look at educational success - and the insights provided by the impassioned speech of 15 year old high
school student Anela Pritchard, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Dr Kevin Donnelly outlines the benefits of greater school
autonomy, and our poll asks whether you believe Anela Pritchard should have publicised her speech.
Last week we examined free trade and our poll asked whether the benefits of the TPP free trade deal would outweigh any
disadvantages. We were advised that anti-TPP advocates called on their supporters to vote in our poll, which means the
final result understates support for free trade by NZCPR readers. Further, just after our newsletter was sent out, we
became aware of an address by Trade Minister Tim Groser in which he provided an update on the progress of the TPP -
including the following comments:
So, to put it bluntly, we are not going to sign up to poorly constructed ISDS provisions that ‘transfer control of the
country’s sovereignty’ to foreign corporations. We are not going to sign up to agreements that undermine a central
pillar of our Public Health system – the pharmaceutical purchasing agency called Pharmac, which is used to keep the cost
of medicines very affordable for middle New Zealand. We are not going to sign up to agreements that stop this or future
Governments putting well-designed environmental protections in place. We are not going to sign up to provisions on ISPs
that make every mother in Lower Hutt worry that the TPP electronic police are going to fly in from Houston to cart their
16 year old son off to jail for file-sharing with his girlfriend.
Those interested in this issue can read the full speech on the Beehive website.
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