1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: Labor to Patsy Maudi and the Greens have united against 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: the Early Childhood Education sector Review. The Ministry of Regulation 3 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: started it last month to look into the health and safety, 4 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:15,079 Speaker 1: child protection buildings, playgrounds, affordability, all of that stuff to 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: do with early childhood education. The opposition parties and the 6 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 1: Educational Institute and the NCDI say the review could lead 7 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: to quote dangerous changes that would harm Tamadiki, the Minister 8 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: for Regulation and the Associate Education Minister's David Seymour. He's 9 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 1: with us this morning. David, good to have you on 10 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: the program. Can you give us an example, because you 11 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:37,599 Speaker 1: know the opposition is saying that this is all going 12 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 1: to be a hell and a handbasket, an example of 13 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 1: an unnecessary regulation that's strangling the sector at the moment. 14 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 2: Oh. Sure. We've had early childhood centers get in touch 15 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 2: saying that they required to have a health and safety 16 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 2: plan around an apple tree because an apple could fall 17 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 2: on a child and that's of danger. Well, you couldn't 18 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 2: have Isaac Newton go to that particular center. We've had 19 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 2: early childhood centers get in touch and say we have 20 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,759 Speaker 2: to have nineteen different documents prepared and ready for inspection. 21 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 2: That is just massive, massive overkill. We've had early childhood 22 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 2: education censors say that they have been harassed by inspectors 23 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 2: because their first AID certificate was to the side of 24 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 2: a door rather than above a door as it's apparently 25 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 2: meant to be. I could go on, but the entire 26 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 2: sector of people who work in early childhood education tell 27 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 2: us that they have had it up to here with 28 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:46,119 Speaker 2: the amounts of red tape and regulation they face. Even 29 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 2: the MZI, the Primary and Early Childhood Teachers Union, has 30 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 2: surveyed its own members and if I recall from their 31 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 2: own booklet, fifty six percent of their members say that 32 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 2: red tape and regulation is a problem one of the 33 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 2: largest concerns that their members have. 34 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: Are there any plans to change regulations around teacher ratios 35 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:14,919 Speaker 1: or the training of teachers of that Sorry, of the 36 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: early childhooed education specialists. 37 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 2: Not under this review, because this is not about funding. Fundamentally, 38 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 2: the ratios come down to how much money there is 39 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 2: per child. There is separately a funding review, and I 40 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,799 Speaker 2: think that we should actually look into what is our 41 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 2: drive for the level of qualification of teachers versus the 42 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 2: number of people that are available per child. Because right 43 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 2: now you can have, at least for a period of time, 44 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 2: one person looking after fifteen very small children that have 45 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 2: just turned two years old. I think that's something that 46 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 2: we should look into whether that's desirable. But the regulation 47 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 2: review is not about funding and ratio. 48 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: Right, so the banging on the wrong drum that the 49 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: opposition could is it possible, David, looking at both of 50 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: these reviews, is it possible that we could see higher 51 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: ratios with fewer qualifications or are you saying, actually, if anything, 52 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: it'll be the opposite. 53 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 2: Well, let me put it this way. At the moment, 54 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 2: once our child turns two, you have a dramatic increase 55 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 2: in the number of students per teacher, and I think 56 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 2: that there's a possibility that you would look at that 57 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 2: and say, look, does it make sense to have a 58 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 2: reasonably low ratio for undertoos but a much higher ratio 59 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 2: that day that you turn two? And it might be 60 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 2: that what we do is we average it out and 61 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 2: make it a bit smoother. But again we haven't even 62 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 2: got close to that. What I find extraordinary about the 63 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 2: smooth as I've never seen the three parties in opposition 64 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 2: unite around something like this. In this term of government. 65 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 2: This is the first thing they've united against. They say 66 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 2: that they want to stop dangerous changes, but we haven't 67 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 2: even announced a single change yet. We're still just listening 68 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 2: to people. Seven hundred people from the early childhood sector 69 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 2: plus have been in touch already. So they unite it 70 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 2: against something, but they don't know what it is. That's 71 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 2: opposition for opposition's sake, or the other way you could 72 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 2: look about at it is that they are united to 73 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 2: promote and protect all the red tape that there is, 74 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 2: because they don't actually know what red tape we're posting 75 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 2: to get rid of. You very quickly. 76 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: Dated On a separate issue, the forcer on seabed the 77 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,840 Speaker 1: government's overturning that Court of Appeal decision on Malori customer 78 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: rights very quickly. What's your view on this? And you know, 79 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: why do we want Why do you think it's important 80 00:04:57,760 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 1: to reduce to say that Mary would have on their 81 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: customer rights. 82 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:04,280 Speaker 2: We have not reduced to say that Mary would have 83 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 2: on their customary rights. We are restoring the test for 84 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 2: customary marine title that Parliament clearly intended when it passed 85 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 2: the Fort Marine and Coastal Area Acts back in twenty ten. 86 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 2: The re Edward's decision by the courts has lowered the 87 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 2: test for getting customary marine title. That means that people 88 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 2: who apply for it may get a huge say over 89 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 2: whether or not you can have resource consents in the 90 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 2: coastal area, for example, for aquaculture. In our view, yes, 91 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 2: there are important customary rights that MARDI should be able 92 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 2: to test in court, But the idea that the courts 93 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 2: get to make the law, no no, no, no no no. Actually, 94 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 2: Parliament makes the law and if people don't like the 95 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 2: way things are, they can elect a new parliament and 96 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 2: make new laws. And that's exactly what is now going 97 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 2: to happen. 98 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 1: Minister, thanks for your time. David Seymour the Associate Education 99 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: Minister and Minister sar Regulation Zar. We should call him. 100 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:11,040 Speaker 2: For more from News Talks B listen live on air 101 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 2: or online, and 102 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:14,600 Speaker 1: Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our 103 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: podcasts on iHeartRadio.