Headline: National playing the system to push PPPs
It is completely inappropriate to experiment on Christchurch children who have been without schools and homes because of the earthquake
The National Government’s Public Private Partnership (PPP) agenda is playing a part in the Christchurch school mergers, the Green Party said today.
Answers to a Green Party written question shows that PPPs will only work if schools are “bundled” and the Green Party is calling on the Government to come clean on their real agenda behind Christchurch school mergers.
“The Minister’s answers to our questions cast doubt over the Government’s rationale for school mergers in Christchurch,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said.
“Christchurch schools don’t know if they are being closed for genuine reasons, or to be attractive for private investment.
“This is the National Act Government’s privatisation agenda being played out, and it is children who will suffer as a result. What we should be doing is focusing on giving them a fair future through a strong public education system.”
The answers show that Treasury’s guidelines would rule out PPPs for individual schools because they are too small, so to make their PPP agenda work the Government will have to “bundle schools together” and put PPPs across several schools in Christchurch.
“There is no evidence that a PPP will save money, in fact there is evidence it will cost the taxpayer more as happened with the Hobsonville school PPP which cost the tax payer $1.5 million more than a public build school would have,” said Mrs Turei.
“It is completely inappropriate to experiment on Christchurch children who have been without schools and homes because of the earthquake.
“The Government has no mandate to privatise public education in New Zealand. New Zealanders treasure our public education system. But the National Government is dead set on undermining it.
“This must be hugely unsettling for kids in Christchurch who still don’t know where they will be going to school.”
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