1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,880 Speaker 1: Barrrisober, Senior Political Correspondence with us Aloe Barry Afternoon, Heather, Okay, 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: so it looks like the old structured literacy is doing 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: what we thought it would, which is teaching. 4 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 2: Now. Like you said, you're editorial, it is much better 5 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 2: than what was anticipated in such a short time because 6 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,440 Speaker 2: it hasn't been going that long. It's amazing that phonics 7 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 2: has been phased out from the seventies, eighties and the nineties, 8 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 2: and then we had this new structure that clearly wasn't working. 9 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 2: When you see how behind kids were getting so early figures. Well, 10 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 2: I'll basically say it all and reinforce why the Prime 11 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,160 Speaker 2: Minister says change had to happen, and you can't argue 12 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 2: with that. 13 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 3: The truth is that over the past couple of decades 14 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 3: we simply haven't done well enough. Student achievement has been 15 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 3: on a steady decline and New Zealand's results have fallen 16 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 3: compared to other countries we like to measure ourselves against. 17 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 3: Data from last year showed that just fifty six percent 18 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 3: of our year eight students were at the expected level 19 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 3: for reading and only thirty five percent for writing. And 20 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 3: that's a really sobering reality, So teaching the basic brilliantly 21 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 3: and turning those results around as one of our government's 22 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 3: biggest priorities. In fact, it's one of the most important 23 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 3: things that we can do to set New Zealand up 24 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 3: for long term success. 25 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 2: It is true, isn't it. You've got to instill the 26 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 2: confidence at a very early age and then they go 27 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 2: on to better things. That's all. 28 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, what I mean. But remember these are also just 29 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: fundamental skills we're talking about, like how can you even 30 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: survive in this economy or in this world if you 31 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 1: cannot read properly. 32 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 2: Exactly or yeah, that's right, read or write. 33 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: It's just remarkable. Yeah, Now, what did you make of 34 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: the local body elections. 35 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 2: Well, I've just seen figures that have come out from 36 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 2: local government New Zealand. Now they probably have done what 37 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 2: I've been counting all the time, and I think we 38 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 2: initially said it was thirty two percent. Was thirty eight percent, 39 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,559 Speaker 2: which represents though if you ever listened from it, one 40 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 2: point three million votes or almost one point three one 41 00:01:54,520 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 2: four received from thirty three point four five million votes. 42 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 2: So the turnout was really so small when it compares 43 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 2: to the number of people that are getting out, and 44 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 2: I think I've got to say that. I was listening 45 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 2: to the Prime Minister this morning talking about it, and 46 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 2: I think he hit the nail on the head that 47 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 2: when you go to vote in these elections you have 48 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 2: to read the biographies of the candidates because when I 49 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 2: voted here in Auckland, I didn't know half them, so 50 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 2: I had to go through them and read them. But 51 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 2: then that's their own opinion of themselves if you like, 52 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 2: and you've got to then produce your own opinion. And 53 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 2: if there's got to be a better way of local 54 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:41,079 Speaker 2: body elections, and he says he's in favor of looking 55 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 2: at doing other ways like electronic, like the internet, like 56 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 2: using email, and that. 57 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: It doesn't but that doesn't solve the problem, does it, Because. 58 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:51,959 Speaker 2: We don't have any polling boods at the moment. 59 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 1: But it doesn't solve the problem because whether you vote 60 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: by post, or whether you vote in person, or whether 61 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: you vote via the internet, you're still having to vote 62 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 1: for a bunch of numpties you've. 63 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 2: Never heard, don't I agree with you? That is the 64 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:06,959 Speaker 2: problem that you know, there are so many people and 65 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 2: so many wards, And when I was voting, I thought, well, 66 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 2: I don't know half these. Yeah, And I guess the 67 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 2: problem is that we don't follow local body government enough 68 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 2: as people. We don't look at our counselors, who arguably 69 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 2: are probably more important to us in many ways. Politicians 70 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,639 Speaker 2: are well because you pay your rates. 71 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: And because there are like a thousand of them across 72 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: the country, right, there's so many of them, and there's 73 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: just no media resource to be able to cover that 74 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: much politics. Nor frankly, do I have the personal bandwidth 75 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: to deal with that much. I just I think we're 76 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: kind of it's just too much, isn't it. 77 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 2: Well, See, I like there's some I agree with you 78 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 2: there totally. 79 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: And also if you've got a whole bunch of seats 80 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: that are uncontested, we just clearly have. 81 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 2: Too much true democracy. No really, but I like the 82 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 2: Western west Land District Council mayoralty that's come down to 83 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 2: four votes. One of them is an eighty two year 84 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 2: old transgender woman by the name of Jackie Grant. Now, 85 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 2: she's the most amazing person. I wouldn't have a look 86 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 2: at her. She's at the moment ahead of the incumbent, 87 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:21,480 Speaker 2: Helen Lash. Grant has been living as a transgender woman 88 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 2: since nineteen seventy one. She came to New Zealand from 89 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:30,599 Speaker 2: Australia basically because she wanted to feel safer. And I 90 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 2: guess you can imagine what the Australians are like well 91 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:36,600 Speaker 2: in those days of transgender woman. I think they wouldn't 92 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 2: be markedly different from what the Kiwis were. But she 93 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 2: moved to New Zealand in the early seventies and she 94 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 2: basically fostered many, many children, more than seventy five I read. 95 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 2: So she's a very interesting candidate and what a good 96 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 2: woman at eighty two to be standing for politics. 97 00:04:57,120 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: Brilliant Barry, Thanks very much, Barry so Per, Senior political correspondent. 98 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 2: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 99 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,799 Speaker 2: News Talk SETB from four p m. Weekdays, or follow 100 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.