Support Needed for Maori Education Relationships

New Zealand First is demanding more than talk from the Ministry of Education on building relationships between schools and whānau.

“The Auditor-General’s report on Māori education released yesterday confirms that Boards of Trustees need more support from the Ministry to build relationships between schools and whanau,” says New Zealand First Spokesperson for Māori Affairs Pita Paraone.

“The Ministry has declared the future success of Māori education relies on schools and whānau working together.

“But when 89 per cent of schools think they have an effective relationship with whanau, yet only 66 per cent of whānau believe the same thing, then we have a problem,” says Mr Paraone.

“The last thing Māori students need is for schools to feel like they’ve done their bit, when in reality students remain isolated.

“New Zealand First is calling on the Ministry to actively support Boards of Trustees in promoting consultation between schools and Māori as directed under the Education Act 1989.

“With Māori consistently lagging behind in education statistics, and a third of whānau feeling isolated from their child’s education, the Ministry needs more than talk to ensure the success of Māori education.”

ENDS

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