Educators call Luxon ‘misinformed’ after he blames truancy on parents
Auckland school principals say Christopher Luxon is “misinformed” after he blamed low school attendance rates on parents and poor school leadership.
“Only 40% of our kids here in New Zealand go to school and no-one seems to care about it,” the National Party leader said.
Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti said Luxon’s understanding of attendance was “completely wrong”.
Tinetti said if a child self-isolated during Covid then they were “automatically not regularly attending”.
The lack of traction in the polls for National are very determined by the perception of Luxon’s own leadership, which as you can see from the word cloud, are not great…
…this week has been more evidence of why his leadership is so wonky.
His attack on parents and schools over truancy is another example of his social conservatism and his reflex position is always to reach for the stick to bash.
He did this with his bizarre desire to launch into disabled teens on welfare earlier in the year and he’s doing again now for truant students despite Covid being the main factor in kids not going to school.
While he was reaching for the stick to bash schools and parents for truancy, he embarrassingly forgot he hated EVs…
Christopher Luxon U-turns on U-turn, acknowledging he ‘misspoke’
Christopher Luxon drove himself into a policy traffic jam on Wednesday morning, after he said National would U-turn on a policy it vociferously opposed – the clean car discount or “ute tax”.
National later U-turned on that remark, clarifying that Luxon misspoke and had not intended to U-turn on that particular policy. He was in fact talking about the clean car standard, an emissions standard for vehicle importers.
National opposed that policy too, meaning Luxon has still U-turned on a policy today – just not the policy he said he was U-turning on.
There is still a question hanging over the extent of the U-turn because National has floated that it supports emissions standards of some kind – but has always said it opposes the Clean Car Standard and voted against it earlier this year.
…he has u-turned so many times he’s now just spinning doughnuts all over National Policy as he loses any traction with credibility.
I’ve read that story 3 times and I’m still not sure what the fuck National’s policy actually is.
The problem is that the National Party believe they’ve already won the 2023 election and that kind of arrogance is seeping into slack and short sighted responses that they end up tripping over themselves with because they are already redecorating the Treasury benches rather than putting energy into winning 2023.
National have believed their own bullshit.
The Roy Morgan Poll shows things are far closer than the Right want to believe.
Good, that kind of hubris always gets punished by the voters.
All National did this week was remind voters what born to rule pricks they are.
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Martyn you have to understand Luxon is now speaking in tongues. He’s making no sense at all but clearly, it’s a divine gift that we lowly peasants could not possibly comprehend.
So truancy isn’t parents fault?
Hmkay.
And the parents before them.
So can Luxon provide policy to break the cycle?
No, he has nothing.
Education, employment and housing policies are important determinants of health so our political parties need and should apply a bipartisan approach as much as possible. We cannot keep making changes to suit our political parties’ ideologies as too many changes are actually detrimental to the people and childrens’ lives we are trying to improve and help.
+ 1 CIP.
Good God! Has Luxon actually taken a stand on a controversial issue? That fence finally got too uncomfortable to bear any longer.
“another example of his social conservatism”? And what are the other examples, Martyn?
So it’s “socially conservative” to expect parents to get their kids to school? Your stance on this is an indictment of contemporary “progressivism”, not of Luxon.
No, but you’re assuming it’s the parents fault, that it’s done with their full knowledge. That’s not only reductionist, it’s prejudiced. The bigger question is why don’t they want to go to school. The fact we’ve got the second highest bullying rates in the OECD might have something to do with it
I’m not assuming any such thing, but a parent who doesn’t know whether their kids are attending school is definitely at fault.
Prithee tell, how is my comment “reductionist, prejudiced”?
“The bigger question is why don’t they want to go to school”
Ah yes, let’s have a hui about why some kids don’t want to go to school. Where do we start? School’s hard – I hated maths, for example.
It’s parents’ job to make sure their kids attend school, whether the kids “want to” or not.
If this is true………… ‘Tinetti said if a child self-isolated during Covid then they were “automatically not regularly attending’………….. I’ve started to spot a trend with Govt agencies.
They force you to answer a question (one way or another) FROM the options they give you, BUT non of the options are correct for your situation, and the ‘NO OTHERS’ option does NOT exist.
So we end up with the classic computer issue of…garbage in, garbage out (GIGO).
Which overpaid IDIOT made this ‘rule’ up?
I had ACC trying to force me to choose a catagory for ‘my work’ and retirement wasn’t an acceptable choice/option…………..WTF.
After 15 mins of debate, I told the person to go away and that I had noted their name, date etc and would see them in court if they wanted to keep up with ‘this line of attack’. INSANE !!!!!
And then one Govt agency tells you to deal with another agencybecause if what you say is true means that the agency (according to them) is wrong. So I MUST debate/interactwith the third Govt party.
Again insane and an impossible pposition to be in. Presumably done on purpose to force you into following their diktat.
The Nats should swap out Luxon with Reti.
Reti is certainly much brighter and more thoughtful than Luxon. The perception is that Reti’s a bit geeky for the top job – a song writer rather than a front man. But maybe he can prove the doubters wrong.
I think that perhaps Nat party “elites” might worry that swapping Reti for Luxon, would lose some voters to ACT. There might be a misconception that Reti is a little bit “ethnic” and might pursue “ethnic” issues. Bridges had the same problem.
A bit like the Republicans eh?
I don’t think that Christopher Luxon is too conservative or too religious for the role of Prime Minister. In fact, more of a caring, patriarchal figurehead could well do this country a world of good in some areas. He is climbing steadily in the polls although the next general election is still a year out.
Dan, he is not kind or caring, he is not climbing in the polls , whats wrong with a female figurehead , what areas are you talking about that he could do a world of good with.
Patriarchal figure head Dan what century are you living?
Hands up who wants to shove that ice cream in his big fat forehead!
Conehead
Nah! not his big fat forehead up his bum and that is putting it mildly
…what born to rule pricks they are. One of many reasons I want ACT at 20%+
Alas, ACT and Seymour are of the same ilk, Tom H = alternative “sames” yet worse on paper – just read their POLICIES
Tom Hunter what would ACT at 20% achieve, only more misery for the bottom feeders
“These kids need to reprogrammed” https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/11/national-wants-to-send-youth-offenders-to-military-academies-for-up-to-year.html
Since when were children considered to be robots? Luxon is a wanker. NOT leadership material.
The problem I have with Luxons comments on school leadership and parent responsibility etc is he can’t prove it, and his choice of words was clumsy. He most likely will get a way with it because there’s some truth in what he is saying. We know some principals are shit along with some teachers and of course some parents. His mistake is picking a fight he can’t win. What he does know, and can prove, is that it is possible to turn around the poor attendance figures if the schools work alongside parents and the community and they all buy into solving the problem. That will be easier in some communities than others. Luxon hasn’t thought the issue through properly. When I went to school rolls for attendance were called and if kids were missing parents were contacted and if necessary truancy officers became involved. Do schools even take roll calls now?. Covid has certainly made this problem harder to manage but Covid is in my opinion only a factor contributing to it. If Luxon is going to continue to criticise schools over the attendance figures he needs a concrete plan to show the electorate. fingerpointing at poor leadership won’t make many friends, and won’t solve the problem.
I can remember a time when I could catch the Southerner Train from Timaru to Gore. I’m a car nut. I love my car in that manly, like a brother to me, kind of way, but I also loved the Southerner. It was a garish, bad taste of a thing with strange blue and white upholstery, it had a great open coach for smoking and a proper cafe for a pie and a cup of tea, but no one in their right mind would try the coffee twice. The staff were lovely too. But then some neoliberal loser politician disappeared it. Some spineless, all bought and paid for, weak willed greedy little rogernome pulled the user pays gun out on a fantastic machine and a relaxing, un-hurried, rolling, soft, romantic, poetic way of getting people from one place to another and shot it in the head.
And here’s the rub, so they say. The Southerner, like so many of our long gone assets and services were never designed to make a profit. That’s right folks. They.Were.Never.Meant.To.Make.A.Fucking.Profit. That was there charm and their asset. It was ours, not some foreign share holder’s and cost a few dollars to anywhere.
We’re by no means distant from greedy psychopaths and narcissistic sociopaths peeping hotly and lasciviously into our pockets. Wage-earner luxon’s dome head will literally glisten with sweaty little fantasies about what he’ll do with, and where he’ll put you tax money. If you see him! Step up to the little prick and tell him. Give him a fucking ear full! Then make sure you never, ever, ever, ever vote for the natzo’s or God forbid, their flea ridden little snuggle bunnie ACT-zo’s either.
Do you know what a Tweedle Snake is? I coined that term. A Tweedle-Snake is a long line of car driving, nose-to-tailers who get hypnotised by the car in front, and so on, and so on, and so on. And before you know it, you’ll come up behind a Tweedle Snake. A long line of cars slowly driving along with Tweedle Dumb’s and Tweedle Dumber’s gripping the steering wheel like a randy, monkey does its dick. While transfixed by the tail lights of the car they’re now following too close to, they snake along and if they car in front drove off a cliff, the rest would follow, hypnotised while devoid of think. I can’t do it. I either pull over and wait or over take. The Kiwi motoring masses have been reduced to a Tweedle Snake.
Natzo’s luxon’s heading up a Tweedle Snake of voters and he’ll lead them slowly and mindlessly and unknowingly into an oblivion of exploitation, exhaustion and reality TV.
Meet Matt Han(d on)cock.
Russell Brand. I got a straight guy, man-crush on this fellow. 20 minutes. Worth it. And it’s not just about covid.
“As Matt Hancock is “interrogated in I’m A Celebrity”, Pfizer and Moderna announce they are launching clinical trials to track vaccine-associated heart problems such as Myocarditis – a topic that’s been censored for months. Was Covid the real reality show?”
https://youtu.be/LE_MLJpv71k
Bless you CB, your comments are pure prose in these dark days, many thanks
Seymour will be in charge anyway, when ACT get15%. Lux will just be his side kick, rolled out for photo opps and ribbon cutting.
Since when has someone with 5% been in charge
Covid he will be because Luxon is thick
The presumption here, of course, is that Act leader David Seymour is intellectually superior to National leader Christopher Luxon.
Haven’t you heard/seen them speak? One can tell just by the speed between the eyes twinkling and the mouth moving who’s synapses are humming and it ain’t Luxons.
True that, Billie
*Billid* (auto correct is super annoying)
No I haven’t. Interesting.
He should probably apply for a job as Ronald McDonald.
Luxon want to reprogram youth offenders based on his recent gaffes he’s the one that needs to be reprogrammed. As for the ice cream I know where I would like to stick it and it ain’t on his bald head either.
Luxon want to reprogram youth offenders based on his recent gaffes he’s the one that needs to be reprogrammed. As for the ice cream I know where I would like to stick it and it ain’t on his bald head either.
Luxon want to reprogram youth offenders based on his recent gaffes he’s the one that needs to be reprogrammed. As for the ice cream I know where I would like to stick it and it ain’t on his bald head either.
Luxon want to reprogram youth offenders based on his recent gaffes he’s the one that needs to be reprogrammed. As for the ice cream I know where I would like to stick it and it ain’t on his bald head either.
School attendance decline dramatically from 2015 onwards, well before Covid. There is also a huge difference on ethnic lines within the country. This is not left or right politics. It’s a disaster for our nation and particular people of Māori descent. Drilling down into the statistics, you will find things are a lot worse than what they look on the surface with some schools in Northland having attendance rates in the low 20%. Australia, Uk, Canada, not to speak of Asian nations like Japan and Korea have attendance rates almost double that of our kids. There is a strong link between attendance and final school achievements and there is a strong link between achievements and later life choices and income.
If we are serious about lifting Māori out of poverty and our nation not becoming a banana republic, we MUST address this crisis. The report “Missing out” by the Education Review office should be compulsive reading for all law makers.
+1 Werner. School attendance rates in NZ are a national scandal, especially for Maaori and Pasifika kids. Martyn’s ideological posturing won’t help anyone.
Martyn, you’ve got this all arse about! Research consistently shows that poor school attendance is linked to poor grades and poor grades will reduce life choices and less income. This cements an underclass which capitalism relies on. When you read the education report in detail, it is much worse than reported. Asian and white upper-class student have similar attendance rates than overseas countries. In contrast, some schools in Northland have attendance rates in the low 20%. If there is one single issue which help the underclass to improve their lot, it is education. The report shows that truancy has started in all earnest around 2015, well before Covid, so that excuse is a cop-out.
Werner it was at the time of National Standards , these teenagers are a result of education policies inflicted by Hekia Parata and social welfare policies inflicted by Paula Bennett. This is a generation of f**k ups by the last national government.
Martyn, you’ve got this all arse about! Research consistently shows that poor school attendance is linked to poor grades and poor grades will reduce life choices and less income. This cements an underclass which capitalism relies on. When you read the education report in detail, it is much worse than reported. Asian and white upper-class student have similar attendance rates than overseas countries. In contrast, some schools in Northland have attendance rates in the low 20%. If there is one single issue which help the underclass to improve their lot, it is education. The report shows that truancy has started in all earnest around 2015, well before Covid, so that excuse is a cop-out.
Luxon has recently stated National will reintroduce boot camps for youth offenders, which I’d like to know HOW this policy will be implemented. It didn’t work well last time through the last National government.
While they are at it, dragging young offenders off to boot camp, I wouldn’t put it past National to also reintroduce the cane or strap and beat the little truants as well! Natz attempting to appeal to it’s filthy and degenerate support base of bullies and sadists out there, to capture votes!
But this has always been the rights way, ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. What they’re admitting to is their own failure. How about policy that stops children offending, social investment.
Spot on there Bert.
USA is having issues with their privatised boot camps for wealthy parents of “wayward” teens, fyi. Reports of violence, sexual abuse and torture – deep trauma to teenagers, yet no one much seems to be listening much over there. AO/NZ MUST NEVER GO THIS PATH. jmo, fwiw
Yes, Sinic our boot camps got the same outcomes ask our government how much has been paid out for boot camp abuse.
I thought you might have mentioned his proposed young-offender military academy, for someone who claims to be Christian & then forgets that the first essential part said by Jesus is that we need to be born again. Trying to force good behavior never works & all it will achieve is fitter youth who will no doubt put that strength into various anti-social activities.
Can’t agree with you and Mary Bonnie. Many young offenders have never been accountable for anything in their lives. With non existent parenting that won’t change, a military style academy could put structure and discipline into lives that have had none. Yes you are required to do as you are told, and for many that’s no different to a beating. I missed out on compulsory military training by a few months as it was being phased out in the early seventies. Can’t remember people complaining about it and many who seemed to have no future benefited from it. Don’t be so quick to condemn Luxon for that idea.
Mary or Martyn? Unless the accountability starts from birth in a loving home followed by an education system that has standards then any forced compliance will only be an outward change but the same desires will rule inside.
There is a big difference between the CMT that applied decades ago & what Luxon is proposing now. I heard that the last time National tried a similar idea it cost over $400 000 per offender which seems to be a waste of money.
Thats a pity you missed out on compulsory military training new view and it explains why you have some fucked up ideas.
EVs are neither “green” (just google what goes into making one of these environmental disasters on wheels), let alone “sustainable”. I personally am starting to think they’re a weird WEF op to make private transport unaffordable and/or can be shut down remotely (by cutting power) – something that is effectively impossible with petrol cars since you can take fuel with you and they don’t rely on a govt controlled electric grid.
lol – dun muh reseerch at Google Uni. Go sniff your exhaust pipe.
Billid, prob YouTube to be fair. Is it a truism that there are no stupid questions? I get the impression Nitrium is a young buck. If so, I can cut him some slack. TDB is an opinion blog afterall, and all comments contribute to our democracy in one way or another. I did crack up at your reply too (thanks, it was pure gold and I needed a good laugh)
Never mind billid, he could try being constructive with his comments. Cars only need electronics to be able to be disabled (source: Die Hard 4.0, which should please billid). The fact that big business is trying to convince us all that we can consume our way out of catastrophic climate change and environmental degradation by inter alia buying EVs is something that makes me just a wee bit sceptical.
He’s struggling and it’s not getting any better. It would not be hard to believe that more than a few in National are nervous and wouldn’t mind swapping him for a Simon Bridges right now. But the reality is, the cupboard is bare!
Very, very true.
Simon says he’s far too busy interviewing his mates and getting his “likes” up, anyway
sometimes being accomodating to the difficult cases doesn’t help them…re kiwi lieracy and numeracy stats…fuckin appalling by any yardstick…maybe it’s time to stop with the ‘weell if you could see your way to we’d be very gratful’ to ‘you will, end of conversation’ school has gone from education to warehousing while both parents work.
The reactions to the policy have been so strong from Marama Everyone’s a Racist But Me Davidson and Grunt I Ate All the Pies Blobberston…it must be a damn good policy. Imagine that…consequences for doing crime.
Who would have thought? Watch the next poll!
The disconnection from reality of Aloha Lex Luthor Luxon never fails to astonish. A man who led Air New Zealand, a company responsible for perhaps as many emissions as Fonterra or Fletcher. He believes in God. No doubt a male god. A useless unevolved bigotted god. A devil realistically. And the right suffer from failed ideology. Capitalism is failing, has failed, and will continue to fail the less wealthy of this planet. Fiscal responsibility is a fallacy. There is always money for stuff at a national government level. But while the “left” fights for positive social outcomes, equality and radical climate change action, the right champions bigots, racists, sexists and reality deniers. Parties led by ignorants such as Seymour, unforgiveables such as Luxon; only bring disappointment and sadness to our broken democracy. Brasil and the USA reacted, to a certain level against the regressive divisiveness of their nations, by voting. Here voters were disenfranchised in local elections, and if the “right” steals power next year; the little glimmer of hope that we carry for a sustainable future, will be extinguished, perhaps forever. The “right” has caused nothing but pain and suffering in the human condition, and continues to be ignorant of the suffering that our planet is living. How any creature could be so ignorant is beyond my comprehension, but I meet them every day, so to blame parents is to blame grandparents and great grandparents. We need to acknowledge our whakapapa, and the reality that colonialism continues to scar whenua, moana and tangata. Karawhiua!
+1 Werner. School attendance rates in NZ are a national scandal, especially for Maaori and Pasifika kids. Martyn’s ideological posturing won’t help anyone.
Time to wake up,the tusker clone is no where to be,the right shoulder is leaning.
Patriarchal figure head Dan what century are you living?