I’ve worked with Pita Sharples for 33 years. I’ve admired his work in Maori Education while disagreeing with his separatist funding and control views.
I can not however understand how can sleep at night after agreeing to the massive funding cuts for wharekura outlined below.
Wharekura can sometimes cause problems in communities. There is an issue with size, quality, subject choice and viability. They can undermine otherwise viable schools. Approval should not be automatic. Pita’s approach seems to be that he wants them wherever a small group of parents do – notwithstanding their educational viability.
But worse he has sold his soul to Chopper Tolley and agreed to a funding formula which discriminates negatively on the basis of using Maori language when all the evidence is that they need more. And under Labour they got that.
The table below shows what they would have got under Labour. And if you take out the Maori Language factor funding you can see what a school with pakeha kids or Maori kids taught in English would get.
Wharekura Funding
| School | Base Funding | Per Pupil Funding | Decile Funding | Maori Language | TOTAL | TOTAL under Tolley |
| Taumarere
Yr 1-6: 49.5 Yr 7-8: 16.5 Yr 9-10: 12 TOTAL: 78 Decile 1 |
$134,292.78 | $180,428.29 | $59,444.58 | $77,416.56 | $451,582.21 | $206,000 |
| Whangaroa
Yr 1-6: 27 Yr 7-8: 9 Yr 9-10: 9 TOTAL: 45 Decile 2 |
$134,292.78 | $35,069.67 | $20,647.80 | $44,663.40 | $234,673.65 | $140,000 |
| Te Tonga o Hokianga
Yr 1-6: 45 Yr 7-8: 15 Yr 9-10: 12 Yr 11: 12 TOTAL 84 Decile 2 |
$134,292.78 | $67,967.46 | $38,542.56 | $83,371.68 | $324,174.48 | $218,000 |
| Te Wairoa
Yr 1-6: 38.25 Yr 7-8: 12.75 Yr 9-10: 12 Yr 11-12: 3 Total 66 Decile 1(B) |
$134,292.78 | $52,061.54 | $50,299.26 | $65,506.32 | $302,159.90 | $182,000 |
| Nga Uri a Maui
Yr 1-6: 72 Yr 7-8: 24 Yr 9-10: 6 Yr 11-12: 1 Total 103 Decile 1(C) |
$134,292.78 | $77,948.94 | $68,167.46 | $102,229.56 | $382,638.74 | $256,000 |
| Kawakawa Mai Tahiti
Yr 1-6: 51 Yr 7-8: 17 Yr 9-10: 19 Yr 11-13: 15 Total 93 Decile 1 |
$134,292.78 | $83,445.69 | $70876.23 | $92,304.36 | $380,919.06 | $236,000 |
| Whangaparaoa
Yr 1-6: 15.75 Yr 7-8: 5.25 Yr 9-10: 7 Yr 11-13: 6 Total 34 Decile 1 |
$134,292.78 | $28,215.05 | $2,591.74 | $33,745.68 | $198,845.25 | $118,000 |
Assumed:
- ¾ of years 1-8 in years 1-6, and ¼ in years 7-8
- Mid-point of decile range used where not otherwise stated
- 80-100% Maori language immersion
Something wrong with the site? Can’t read the last column as it is in the Red. Can’t navigate up down- just lurches. Try tomorrow.
It happens to me from time to time. All you have to do is click on another post and then the side info comes in.
I’m shocked by alot of things that is coming out lately. There are so many things that I never thought would happen even under National.
Trev, is this for real? Am I reading this right? Does it really show the difference between total (as in what they would get under Lab) and Total under tolley (what they are about to get?)as such a big difference? Thats a massive cut.
How does this compare to other schools – like area schs? (I know you asked her a question around this and got nothing out of her)
Which parts have they cut to see such a dramatic difference?
But wait – I can see the budget is going to be so much fun for education – how long until other schools get big cuts in funding. Oh goodie.
Schools should be quaking in their boots simply with the noises around cutting ECE funding. Add a reduction in kids going to pre-school (in whatever form it takes) to the one year at school national standard and you get failure of children, families, and schools. What is the bet that this is followed up with funding for performance.
I am angry. Should I change what I’m training for? No because I wanted to do this for years. I just hope by the time I’m working, things won’t be so bad.
Fingers crossed.
In question time, Tolley kept re-iterating that the funding was on an interim basis.Can it be assumed that the budget may provide more?
I highly doubt it.
Peter Martin – I think she might align area schools with her formula.
Paul to work out what an area school currently gets subtract Maori lang money. So in top case if they were an area school currently they would get 374k.
A Mother don’t you dare.
I can’t. I’m drawn to teaching for some reason I cannot explain in either ECE or early primary for as long as I can remember. (apart from a few months of wanting to be a war correspondent in 4th form then changed my mind back to teaching)
Early years degree lets me work alongside children from 0 to 8 years so its perfect.
I wouldn’t be able to live with the decision if I changed my mind.
@ A Mother I wanted to be a war correspondent. Take my hat off to you wanting to work with children. Can’t think of a more important job. I’m not cut out to be a teacher.
You’re kidding surely. Obviously the MP has sacrificed many, many Labour-initiated advances for its people in order to advance the fabled Foreshore and Seabed “difference”, but surely they wouldn’t lamely give up this sort of putea without a very good reason? And without considerable dissent from affected parties? Do tell as to why we haven’t heard more on this please Trev, defies credulity as it stands.
@Clare. I’m not the only mad one then? Back when I wanted to be one I even wrote as a student journalist for the local paper, to give journalism a go. I never did anything by half.
@Ak. I too am suprised we haven’t heard more on this. Cannot believe something like this happened.
I notice that you say that is how much they WOULD have got under Labour.
Can you tell us how much they DID get under Labour.
I her answer in Parliament the Minister said that the schools got nothing for the last nine years.
Are you saying that is untrue? If you are please tell us how much the schools did get in 2008?
Each of them was fully funded inc Maori language factor and decile funding as a primary school. Tolley said they got nothing as wharekura – she is right because they didn’t have secondary kids. Just unfair that their funding has been cut in this way.
I am a teacher (special needs) and I wonder at those pitiful levels of funding if that has to pay for salaries too? (wasn’t sure of what was included in the base funding)
A mother – teaching can be really rewarding, keep going, education always has these ups and downs of funding, but NZ’s curriculum in Primary and pre-school (Te Whariki) are world leading and can offer so much to our kids.
World leading…I don’t think so. My son went to school in Asia and when he came back here he was at least four years ahead in maths and science. He couldn’t believe how poor the English was at his Catholic Boys school and he absoluted hated what passed for English in New Zealand schools. He thought it was absolute rubbish and I agreed with him.
theresaj – I think Korea is the only Asian country that outperforms NZ in science and maths. Was he in a local or international school?
Trevor said
If I could procide some updated info Trevor:
This Australian report on the highlights of the TIMSS international survey suggests that we score consistently behind the Australians in Year 4 – we constantly sit at or below the international mean; as theresaj suggested, Asian countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan consistently top the tables.
I am also very curious as to why NZ appears to have chosen to only participate in the year 4 (NZ year 5) part of the TIMSS survey and not include older school pupils as well. (As stated in the MoEd educationcounts website when you search for timss). NZ has previously allowed more senior pupils to be tested in the TIMSS research, not in the latest round however.
http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/TIMSS_2007-AustraliaHighlights.pdf