I'm with you school...says Hekia Parata.

Hekia Parata, Nationals Queen of Communications:

What a minister of education we’ve got and she just loves giving the rich money and taking it off the poor.

Her latest example of super communication skills is her backdoor handout to now state integrated  Whanganui Collegiate private school while kicking Christchurch public schools in the guts. Whanganui’s other High Schools and Colleges have empty spaces and this move to spend millions more to keep the fees for private students down while making the tax payer fund private fee paying students from wealthy families is stunning in its absolute impudence and stupidity. If ever there was a clear example of taking from the poor and giving to the rich, this is it.

Perhaps this is the reason why John Key kept her on as a Minister when the rest of NZ wanted her dumped. This from the Greens Catherine Delahunty:  

Hekia Parata’s decision to more than triple the amount of money it gives to newly integrated Whanganui Collegiate while closing schools in Christchurch is yet another example of it privileging the privileged while everyday New Zealanders suffer, the Green Party said today.



Catherine Delahunty. 



“Hekia Parata is claiming demographics mean she has to close schools in Christchurch, but she agreed to integrate Whanganui Collegiate despite 1400 places already being spare at other high schools in the area,” said Green Party education spokesperson Catherine Delahunty.

“The decision to hand out more cash to Whanganui Collegiate is a slap in the face for Christchurch students, parents and teachers who are desperately trying to save the schools that helped them through the traumatic experiences of the last two and a half years.

“Both the Ministry of Education and Treasury repeatedly told the Government not to let Whanganui Collegiate become a state integrated school, but Hekia Parata failed to listen.

“The Ministry of Education warned that this decision could hurt other schools in Whanganui. This is yet another example of Hekia Parata’s failure to care about the impacts of her decisions on anyone other than the National Party’s rich mates,” Ms Delahunty said.

It’s hard not to agree with Catherine Delahunty on this issue. The governments roll over to Whanganui Collegiate shareholders makes a mockery of their so called desire for New Zealanders to tighten their belts. It’s simply yet another step down the track of Charter Schools, where the State pays while others profit. Hekia Parata should be ashamed of herself as should her sole supporter John Key and her God-Father Steven Joyce the Minister for everything but the master of none:

Whanganui Collegiate School now has the highest fee charges for any NZ State Funded integrated School: $22000.00 per year for a live in student and $12000 for a day student.

So Whanganui now not only has a bad smell floating across the city but it has the stink of a backroom subsidy to an elitist private school that’s polluting its educational activities.  

PS,

Many many years ago while playing rugby for Tech against Collegiate a Mother of my opposing hooker tried to hit me over the head with her umbrella, she missed thank heaven but ever since then I've had a thing about Collegiate. Oh by the way...we lost the game as I recall.