1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:01,440 Speaker 1: And so numbers have proved to be a problem with 2 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: the public service. We thought we had a lot more 3 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:05,400 Speaker 1: teachers than we've actually got. Turns out we're about twelve 4 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty short this year. So offshore primary teachers 5 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,160 Speaker 1: will be put on the straight residency greenlist as of 6 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: next month. The Immigration and Education Minister, Erica Stanford is 7 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: with us on all of this morning to. 8 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 2: You, good morning mate. 9 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: Have you had to hustle to make this announcement because 10 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: of what happened? 11 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,600 Speaker 2: No, I haven't hustled. But the end of last year 12 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 2: when the teacher data should have come out, and they 13 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 2: turned up at my office and handed me a document 14 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 2: that showed me the teacher data, which was wildly different 15 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 2: than the year before. Of course you could imagine my reaction, Mike, 16 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 2: at which point I asked them to start delving into 17 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 2: the data. When they came back to me and they 18 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 2: said to me, Minister, our data is wholly unreliable. Those 19 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,319 Speaker 2: were their words. And I ended at that point late 20 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 2: last year that we we needed to get better data. 21 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 2: But I also knew that it wasn't going to be great. 22 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 2: So at that point that's when I hustled, said to 23 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 2: Immigration right what we do right now. They have been amazing, 24 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 2: worked at speed so that I've been able. 25 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 1: To do this right. So the next thing. All the 26 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 1: problem we have is through a demand. So in other words, 27 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: green lighting is one thing. Are there a bunch of 28 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: people who will turn up? 29 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 2: I think that there are because we did this for 30 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 2: secondary school teachers. So when I got there initial data 31 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 2: back in twenty twenty three, when I first became the minister, 32 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 2: I saw the secondary school teachers. We were in trouble. 33 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 2: I mean that it was looking like we were going 34 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 2: to be one hundreds short, and I moved immediately to 35 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 2: put them on the immediate pathway to residence. We didn't 36 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 2: put primary school teachers on because the data told us 37 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 2: something different. And we've seen since then we have had 38 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 2: a quite a big uptick in secondary school teachers coming through. 39 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 2: It has made a difference. So that's why we know 40 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 2: this well. But it's only a very small part of 41 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 2: the puzzle. There's a lot more we need to do 42 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 2: in terms of on site training and scholarships and encouraging 43 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 2: young people to get into teaching. 44 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: Exactly are we doing that? 45 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 2: We are? And I knew last year even though I 46 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 2: had data from the Ministry when I first became the 47 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 2: minister that said we're going to have an over supply 48 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 2: of primary teachers. I knew in my gut. I was like, no, 49 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 2: I doesn't feel right. I've been around the country. I'd 50 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 2: talked to the Southland Primary Principles, the Auckland Primary Principles 51 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 2: and they were saying to me, we're not seeing it here. 52 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 2: So when I said to the Ministry, doesn't feel right, 53 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,399 Speaker 2: they had no minister, it's just regional. So I've now 54 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 2: made them do regional data the first time that they've 55 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 2: never done that before. So I knew something was up. 56 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 2: I didn't trust the ministry. And last year and last 57 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 2: year's budget we put in tens of millions of dollars 58 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 2: into helping to train more teachers. The on site training 59 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 2: programs was fifteen hundred more teachers into the mix, and 60 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 2: we and we've put a special category of primary school 61 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 2: teachers because I just had feeling, and we will look 62 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 2: to do that again this year as well. 63 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: So I had run on the program last week when 64 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: he wrote his report, and I haven't had the Prime 65 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: Minister on, but I've got him on this morning. How 66 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: much of what you want to do as a government 67 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: is held back by a public service that simply isn't. 68 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 2: Up for good question. Look, to be honest with you, 69 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:10,239 Speaker 2: I have, for the most part, when you are very 70 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 2: clear and you go in with a with plans and 71 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 2: you know exactly what you want, they will respond. I mean, 72 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 2: the education is doing an absolutely fantastic job because we 73 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 2: are very clear about exactly what we want to achieve. 74 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 2: And yes there's the occasional hack up. But when you 75 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 2: have good leadership and you know what you want and 76 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:30,359 Speaker 2: you're very clear about it, and you stay on top 77 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 2: of them, and yes sometimes you have to micromanage them, 78 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 2: then you get results. And you've seen that in education. 79 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: I appreciate your time as always, Erica Stanford. So the 80 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: green light for the primary teachers, they were just if 81 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: you hadn't followed the story, we are twelve hundred and 82 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: fifty short. They thought we were going to have a 83 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: thousand more than we needed, so a two and a 84 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: half thousand difference. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, 85 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: listen live to news talks that'd be from six am weekdays, 86 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.