Parata: Final day in role PM’s call
Education Minister says decision to retire from role was made with family last summer Post has been an education
Education Minister Hekia Parata — who announced her retirement in a shock move yesterday — says the portfolio had been both incredibly challenging and rewarding.
“It’s not the one that you could hope to ever be the most popular in, either. But it is also the most rewarding. Young people are at the heart of this, I’ve never lost focus on that.
“That goes with this portfolio. People feel passionately about it, and so they should. As a mother I’m passionate about are my daughters getting the best education possible? What’s happening in their school?
“I respect that from New Zealand parents, they want to know that the best is happening for their kids, they do take it personally, I take it personally.”
Parata said she decided not to contest next year’s election after talking with her family last summer, and told Prime Minister John Key early this year.
She would not reveal what her plans were after politics, saying she had no intention of seeking a diplomatic post, and neither she nor close family were suffering ill-health, “other than a spring cold”.
It would be the Prime Minister’s call when she leaves next year, she said.
Asked how Key had reacted to her decision, Parata said he respected “decision-makers”, being one himself.
Parata was elected to Parliament in 2008 and has served as Education Minister since 2011.
Her departure is unexpected — she is currently overseeing the biggest education reforms since 1989.
Her biggest achievement to date and potentially her legacy has been getting through changes to enable and encourage groups of local schools to work together, with teachers and principals paid more to take a lead in those new “communities of learning”.
The policy is similar to an earlier policy proposal from the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA). Nonetheless, it took hard work and compromise to convince the secondary school union to cautiously back a key National policy in election year.
Parata has had her low moments in the portfolio, with most occurring in 2012 — the year she calls her annus horribilis.
That brought an embarrassing U-turn on plans to increase class sizes, a backlash against her handling of proposals to merge or close Christchurch schools, and the implementation of the disastrous Novopay school payroll system. There was speculation that Key would dump her from the portfolio, but he backed her and she has been pushing through a raft of changes including clearing the way for online schools (COOLs) and an overhaul of the school and ECE funding, that will scrap the decile system. One funding proposal to give schools a “global budget” has been strongly rejected by the education unions as a return to bulkfunding, sparking classroom disruption as the PPTA and NZEI held joint meetings across the country. The NZEI greeted news of Parata’s depar-
HInvolved in organising protests against the 1981 Springbok Tour. Quit National after former leader Don Brash’s Orewa speech. Has been Education Minister since December 2011. For video of Hekia Parata’s press conference, visit nzherald.co.nz ture yesterday by calling on Parata to drop the global budget proposal.
Labour’s education spokesman Chris Hipkins said that while he doesn’t agree with much of what Parata does, “I do acknowledge her passion and commitment to education and kids”.
Before entering Parliament in 2008, Parata held a number of public servant positions including advising former Labour Prime Minister David Lange.
She has two daughters of university age and is married to Sir Wira Gardiner, former director of the Waitangi Tribunal, with whom she formed a consultancy firm.
After Don Brash’s Orewa speech on “special treatment” for Maori, Parata resigned her party membership and attacked the speech in a newspaper opinion piece.
She returned to the fold under John Key’s leadership. Her maiden speech mentioned education five times.
Three years later she took over the crucial portfolio from Anne Tolley.
Parata said she wasn’t concerned her departure could lower the number of women in Cabinet.
“Women are fabulous creatures, and I think that the Prime Minister has an eye to the diversity of our Cabinet as well as our caucus.” Hekia Parata’s final report card as a minister may not be straight As but it will be one she is proud of.
She came to the Education portfolio not so much with ideas but with a mission to lift student achievement.
And she has had the passion to drive them as far as she can.
She will certainly leave a better minister than when she started.
Prime Minister John Key resisted calls to sack her after the Budget bungle over increasing class sizes in 2012. Really that was as much the fault of Finance Minister Bill English and other senior ministers who had failed to ask basic questions about what her plans meant for local schools.
She survived not least because improving Maori and Pacific student achievement was such a crucial goal of the Government it would have been unthinkable to sack its most senior Maori minister.
Parata would be the first to say she learned and improved from that revolt of schools and parents.
It meant she has always been better prepared in her subsequent reforms and mindful of the need to win support, not expect it.
She will be a loss to National. She has been a strong presence for women and for Maori in a party that has a deficit of both.
She will have no problem using her skills and energy in another field when she leaves.
While she said yesterday that she had “no intention of taking a diplomatic post”, she is obliged to say that. It will not stop her considering any offer.
In terms of who will replace her, that depends largely on when Key wants her to step down.
He may let her stay next year to do more on the decile system review or to bed in her reforms on school collaboration.
He may wait until Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye recovers from breast cancer and then give it to her.
But if he wants to shake it up in the reshuffle planned for the start of next year, Simon Bridges could be in the mix.