1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: Heather do the cl So. 2 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 2: It appears some schools are encouraging students to take time 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 2: off to go and attend the Hekoy protesting the treaty 4 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 2: principal's bill. There's an email from one school to student's 5 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,239 Speaker 2: families doing the rounds on social media. It says the 6 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 2: school supports the ongoing hikoy and any student who attends 7 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 2: the Hikoy with their parents will have their absence marketers justified. 8 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 2: David Seymour AXS party leader and also Associate Education ministers 9 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 2: with US. Now, hey, David, yeah, are you frustrated by that? 10 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: Yeah? I am, because you know, educations the kid's only 11 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: real shot, especially if you're born without much educations, your chance, 12 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,879 Speaker 1: your ladder of opportunity, call it what you will, and 13 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure that the treaty principal still will not 14 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: disadvantage a single child. But missing out on an education 15 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: because you're either not there or because you've got a 16 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: principal who thinks it's more important to be out joining 17 00:00:55,280 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: a critical party protest movement than learning to read, write, 18 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: maths and science the future that disadvantages kids big time? 19 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 2: Is there anything you can actually do about it? 20 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: In practice? Our schools are run by parent elected boards 21 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 1: with principles appointed by the boards, so they're self governing. 22 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: We can only publish the data and urge them to 23 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: do the right thing. Ultimately, it's up to communities to 24 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: say to their principle through their school boards, we don't 25 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: like what you're doing, and maybe it's time to get 26 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: someone new. 27 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:34,639 Speaker 2: So you see this as a breach of the Teaching 28 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 2: Council guidelines. 29 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: How so? Well, principles are public servants required to show 30 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: public sector neutrality. So in theory someone could take a 31 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:51,240 Speaker 1: case that they breached political sorry, not public sector political neutrality. Sorry, 32 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: So that's certainly a case to be made. 33 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 2: Are you basically inviting someone to take a case? 34 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: Well, i'd certainly, you know, wouldn't be surprised if somebody 35 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: up there took a complaint to the Teaching Council and said, 36 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: I've got this principle that I thought was supposed to 37 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: be politically neutral and encouraging children to go to something which, 38 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: by the way, is not really a Maori protest that 39 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: at Mai protest. The organizer Ka Kingi is the son 40 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: of any Kappa Kingi. The Marii Party MP's also on 41 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: the parliamentary payroll. I don't know if he's got leave 42 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 1: or he's doing it taxpayer. 43 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 2: Hey, because I was trying to establish it today. Is 44 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:37,519 Speaker 2: he actually as a party Maari staffer? 45 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: Is he? Oh? That's right, He's in the database. So 46 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: there's a question around can you employ your family in 47 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: the first place? But put even putting that aside, you know, 48 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: should a parliamentary staff have been involved in that sort 49 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: of political activity is the kind of thing you can say, 50 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: is it's a bit bullline, But I just make the 51 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: point that those principles, you know, that they may not 52 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: realize that this is a pickickly a political party activity 53 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: that they are endorsing too. 54 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 2: Right, Actually, David, thanks for pointing that out. David Cymore, 55 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,079 Speaker 2: Associate Education minist as at party leader. 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