Partnership School Model ‘a mirage’ says Tamihere

PRESS RELEASE – for immediate release

16 July 2016

Partnership School Model ‘a mirage’ says Tamihere

Te Whānau O Waipareira CEO John Tamihere says the Government’s flagship education policy is an unworkable “mirage”.

The west Auckland organisation had been progressing a bilingual Māori ‘excellence’ school under the charter school model, but has been forced to withdraw their bid due to a lack of good faith in negotiations with the Ministry of Education and Minsters Hekia Parata and David Seymour.

“We were in the final stages of developing a Kura which would have offered excellence in education for our people. Our students would have been supported to achieve through individualised learning plans, wellness plans, and the kind of career and tertiary support available at only the most selective and expensive schools in country – all at little or no cost to the Whānau,” Tamihere said.

“The goals and aspirations of Kura Waipareira are those of our people, we believed we could accomplish them with the Ministry of Education through the charter school model. We now know, it’s a mirage.”

Waipareira was set to gain a licence on June 9 with the Ministry of Education to establish its own Kura, opening in 2017.

But the Ministry of Education, and Ministers Parata and Seymour, rejected the minor amendments requested by Waipareira, and have refused to explain why.

“We asked for reasonable amendments, one was that the powers of the Minister be applied reasonably, another was a simple acknowledgement that Waipareira has Treaty of Waitangi status under the Wai414 judgement when dealing with the Crown. Hardly controversial requests,” Tamihere said.

“It saddens me that we can no longer progress the aspirations of our people due to Minsters Parata and Seymour’s failure to support their own flagship policy. Another failure for the Education portfolio, another failure for our people.”

Ends

Background_info_on_Kura_Waipareira.pdf

© Scoop Media