Report card for Parata
Laura Walters takes a look at Hekia Parata’s sometimes-chaotic reign as education minister.
Hekia Parata has had a busy, sometimes-chaotic time at the helm - enacting a string of changes in the education sector.
The National List MP has said she will not be standing for reelection, after eight years in Government, including five as education minister.
While not everything has gone to plan, Parata has bravely led the charge on education reform during the past five years.
As the mother-of-two prepares to leave Government, we take a look at her legacy.
CLASS SIZES
Parata hit the ground running, wasting no time making her first big change as education minister increased class sizes.
In May 2012, Parata announced student ratios in the mid-years of education would change, in a move that could save about $43 million a year.
The plan was met with an immediate backlash and the decision to change the teacherstudent ratio was axed within a month.
Performance pay for teachers was floated during the same 2012 Budget announcement - it’s been debated since.
CHRISTCHURCH SCHOOLS
In September 2012, following the earthquakes, staff from Canterbury schools were summoned to the Lincoln Events Centre, where they were handed colour-coded name badges that corresponded to the proposed future of their schools.
It was announced that 13 schools would close, and 18 would merge.
Parata was criticised for her lack of sensitivity in handling the announcement and the potential impact on already traumatised communities.
She went back to Christchurch and apologised for her handling of the situation.
On Thursday, she said she had no regrets about how she handled the rest of the Canterbury schools shake-up.
NOVOPAY
Parata was tasked with overseeing the introduction of the Novopay payroll system in 2012.
Novopay became a massive botch-up, leaving thousands of teachers out of pocket.
What became known as the ‘‘Novopay debacle’’, contributed to the resignation of newly elected education secretary Leslie Longstone and ended in the Government taking control of the system in 2014. The botch-up cost taxpayers an additional $45 million to fix.
PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS
Parata was tasked with launching the flagship ACT policy that led to five Partnership Schools opening in 2014.
Four more opened in 2015 and seven new schools (often referred to as charter schools) have been given the go-ahead by the Government.
One of the flagship Northland schools - Whangaruru - was closed by Parata over governance, management and student achievement issues.
Parata and the ACT Party have continued to back the policy.
NATIONAL STANDARDS
Parata wasn’t at the helm when national standards made their debut but she has had to see them through the growth stages.
National standards came into effect with pupils in years 1 to 8 in 2010, followed by fear in the sector that funding could be based on achievement.
In 2014, Parata said national standards were going through a process of moderation. Earlier this year, the ministry said it was still making improvements in the area.
DECILES
Parata has called the school decile funding system ‘‘blunt’’ and ‘‘poorly targeted’’.
She has repeatedly promised an overhaul of the system, which many agree is not fit for purpose. Earlier this year, she established an advisory group to consider changes.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Also this year, Parata announced that school-aged children would soon be able to do all their learning online.
The changes will allow any school, tertiary provider or an approved industry to apply to be a ‘‘community of online learning’’ (COOL).
MODERN LEARNING
Parata has also spearheaded the investment in new classrooms and property upgrades.
In the past five years, the ministry spent $517 million on open-plan classrooms which include things like glass, natural light and moveable walls.
The classrooms are geared towards giving teachers and students greater flexibility in how they learn.
MORE CHANGES AHEAD
Parata will be leaving in the middle of more big changes for education. The Education Legislation Amendment Act, which passed earlier this week, and the Education (Update) Amendment Act mean more shake-ups are afoot, such as schools changing opening hours and children able to start school before their fifth birthday.
While not everything has gone to plan, Parata has bravely led the charge on education reform.