6th April 2011

The education sector union says the government is ramming through the country’s first public private partnership in education and it’s taxpayers and school communities who will wear the risk.

The government has just announced that it intends to commission two new schools in Hobsonville that will be designed, financed, built and maintained under a public private partnership.

“This represents a huge shift in New Zealand’s educational landscape. What is astounding is that the government is pushing ahead without once consulting educators or school communities,” says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

“The only consultation it has undertaken is with the private sector whose interests PPPs ultimately serve. The government itself admits that PPPs only bring minimal returns to the taxpayer,” he says.

“They can also leave the taxpayer locked into expensive maintenance contracts or stuck with empty, sub-standard buildings during or after the 25-30 year contract period.”

However the bigger risk is to the community. An independent poll recently conducted by NZEI showed that 77% of people said that schools are important community buildings and should not be owned by private companies to run at a profit.

Ian Leckie says “Schools and communities want and expect 24-7 access to school buildings and facilities, as well as the ability to control what happens in them. That access should be non-negotiable and never put at risk.”

“As these schools are in the Prime Minister’s electorate he should be prepared to ensure that the community maintains its rights and privileges to all school buildings and facilities without question.”

NZEI is now calling on the government to stop its bulldozer approach and allow the education sector, the public and the local community to have some input before tenders are called.

ENDS

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