Mr. Speaker

I would like to share two matters this day. The first is a brief background of my life and the second is my passion and concern for the state of education in New Zealand. Mr Speaker, there are those I want to thank first.

I want to honour God as my strength and my life giver. To my loving wife Raye, I want to say I have been blessed by your continuous support. I am very proud of you. To my three children Erin, Jason and Warwick and my four grandchildren you have enriched my life and have help mould me for the tasks ahead. I want to sincerely thank those 135,000 people, including my many volunteers, who voted for my colleagues and myself. Your confidence and belief in me is humbling and I am very honoured to be your voice in this House. Thank you.

I was born and grew up on a diary and sheep farm in Otorohanga, in the King Country. My parents, George and Kathleen, were wonderful, affirming, salt of the earth people. I am one of their three sons and together with my brothers enjoyed both the fun activities and the hard work that is part and parcel of farming.

They instilled important virtues and purposes into our lives, teaching us to be productive and to help others. To seek for the highest goals for our lives. Their companionship and example have spoken deeply to me.

I was made aware from an early age that I lived in a free land based on democratic principles preserved by the lives of many brave men and women - including my uncle Bernie who gave his life in the 2nd World War. Their democratic ethos was what made New Zealand great. It laid the foundations for our nation's growth since the war years and has compelled me and inspired me to enter this House today.

My dream, Mr Speaker, is to see a New Zealand that promotes and rewards: justice, truth, personal and property freedoms, a culture that inspires a love of learning, that encourages profitable businesses to thrive, a legal system that promotes justice, and citizens who accept responsibilities before demanding their rights. May I quote from Judge Brown who only last year said: "We desperately need in this country to provide the inspiration and leadership to aspire to be a decent society.... in the end our future as a nation will not, cannot and should not, depend upon [Government] structure, but rather on the resolve and character of each one of us as a citizen."

My desire is to help build a nation in order that its citizens are well educated in the things of life to and able to take up opportunities as they become available

But I believe, with countless New Zealanders, that education is far more than schooling, and I offer the following seven considerations to enhance a modern educational framework for growing New Zealand into a strong nation.

Firstly, we should acknowledge parents once again as the rightful first and continuous teachers of their children.

Mother and Father (parents) are the first teachers who contribute to the formative years of a their child's life, inculcating life skills so the child can use and understand language, so they can listen, obey and speak and write. The role of the state is to aid - not replace parenting.

But this is not clear by reading some of the memoranda from some elements of the teacher unions, proposals of some educational academia, and from some government departments.

Parents do want the very best that they can provide for their children, and parents need to be strengthened and encouraged in their roles. The majority of Kiwis want education to be an extension of their home and its values - not a denial of, or contradiction to, those of the parents. Parents rightly expect any teacher to act in loco parentis, and they should be highly regarded in society. We should not deny our greatest assets, children, from developing into leadership in every area of society. Good parents lay the foundations for developing a strong nation.

Secondly, education should include inter-generational thinking and practices because education is a long-term human capital investment.

It is critical to have a long-term plan and a view of New Zealand for the next 100 years. The plans and processes for great grandparents, grandparents, parents, children, grand children and great grand children to participate in New Zealand need to be in agreement. These must extend beyond the 3-year shelf life of any government or the whim of any ideology.

Can I take the liberty to illustrate some of the founding generations from my life?

One of my great grandfathers, Harold Ivey, was the very first director of agriculture and research in New Zealand, at Lincoln University, 1876. Yet another grandfather married into a Hokianga hapü of Ngaapuhi, connecting me to the great peacemaker Tamati Whaka Nene of 1840 Treaty fame. These lineages are my derived and outline what is worthy and noble in my whakapapa. My parents began their own farming business the hard way - by clearing tee tree and scrub - to plant a lasting investment in New Zealand. My three children all have tertiary and professional qualifications and are making input into various lives and aspects of Auckland city life. My grandchildren are being raised so that they too may continue as contributors to the development of this wonderful nation of New Zealand. It is this type of human capital investment that will continue to build New Zealand into a strong nation.

Thirdly, education should be an active partnership of the learner, parents, friends, community groups and civil institutions as well as the government sector.

It is a truism, that if we "continue doing the same things that we have always done, we will get what we have always gotten." Fragmented competing educational spheres and controlling educators abound in this country, with learners being the losers, in these closed ideological clusters.

One size does not fit all.

A single providing agency will fail to cater for all aspects of a learner's growth and subsequent maturity. Government should concentrate on providing a level playing field and treating everyone equally under a stable and just set of rules. Not actually doing the task. Making sure it happens is a joint act.

Parents and the community agencies must act together. Each may include many eager, committed and enthused people representing groups from childhood right through to adult education programmes.

That way, our graduates will be full of colour and life as they contribute to their fields of Arts and Culture, Business, Law, Church, Media, Sports, Family, Technology and, dare I add, even Government!

Private and public sectors working together as partners will build a strong nation.

Fourthly, critical thinking is founded upon freedom of choice.

Democracy and its institutions depend on there being choices. Choices cater for differentiation, recognising every person is created differently. Choice involves geography, providers, worldviews, academic freedoms and methods to produce critical thinkers and learners. Education thrives when choices are available no matter what religion, race or creed. Otherwise, New Zealand will continue to produce more blandness and sameness rather than innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial citizens to flesh out the now stated goal of a "knowledge wave economy." Critical thinkers certainly make for a robust nation.

Fifthly, educational funding should follow the learner.

It is odd when we consider the ad hoc nature and internal contradictions of present day educational funding. Young adolescent people who are immature and unclear about their future can choose their tertiary educational courses, but much wiser and aware parents are not able to choose where their child can receive their Primary or Secondary education. Yet, they can have some say in their Preschool choices! As adults they can choose wisely for themselves but not for their children! Along with many researchers I believe that parents in the first instance, and as adults students later in life, are able to wisely weigh up their educational options.

There is a need for a single financing policy connecting all education sectors from the home through to learning-for-life programmes. That is, equal sums of money to all children and learners in each compulsory sector should be available, without discrimination. A seamless learner-funding programme will go a long way to support a strong nation.

Sixthly. Education must incorporate personal development.

This begins in the home and it must be reinforced until learners themselves become in turn trainers of character into their own children. This is the principle of giving and receiving! It is not asking, "what can society give me, but what can I give to society?" Character is made up of traits, such as manners, measure the civility of our nation. These traits are eternal and inter-generational. They are permanent, opposing the present day self centred post-modern society. All civilizations have relied on these as their "fixed stars" to guide them. Personal development helps build a strong and a healthy society.

Seventhly and lastly. Education should include the construction of a curriculum to develop a well-rounded civil society. Learning should be integrated with financial, physical, and spiritual curriculum.

For too long we have been depriving our learners of becoming successful, by not providing the components for them to succeed. Our educational programmes should enable our learners to become financially free so as to become contributing members in our nation. Only such free persons have the options, the privilege and the joy to give and help others. Those with debt are forced to leave altruism to others. Learners are rarely taught the principles of creating wealth either in their home or school or in the market place for that matter.

Education should address the need for emotional intelligence and health. Having a sensible, responsible, active and healthy life style can prevent illnesses.

The spiritual health of an individual is also critical. Education must recognize individual beliefs. These develop a holistic approach to life for all New Zealanders. The rationalistic fear of promoting "there is no God," has not helped develop our people. Debt free, healthy and spiritual individuals contribute significantly to strong communities.

In conclusion Mr. Speaker: One of my great grandfathers, in pursuing his dream at Lincoln College, left to this nation a long-term educational investment, in human capital terms, which continues to bring forth daily streams of income to this nation. This is a challenge for me to do likewise, and to this end, I offer myself for service to this my nation. To make New Zealand the best place to live in again.