National one year on: Tolley trying but could still do better

Tough in Opposition, Anne Tolley was seen as the right person to take on the teachers' unions. Photo / Supplied

Anne Tolley was reportedly given the job of National's education spokeswoman because of her reputation as the party's whip of having an iron hand in a velvet glove.

Party leaders John Key and Bill English believed her tough approach would serve her well against the infamously lippy and powerful teacher unions.

That theory has been put to the test since she took over as minister. The education beat has proved one of the most fraught for governments of any colour, but especially so for National.

For Mrs Tolley, the chore is doubled by the unenviable task of dealing with the edict for spending cuts - always a contentious area for a public service as sacred as education.

She has shown neither the alacrity of Tony Ryall in making controversial decisions to little public outcry, nor the mercilessness of Judith Collins in quelling opposition, all the while exuding confidence that hers is the path of righteousness.

Her decision to target adult night courses as one area for cuts is understandable and should have been easier to "sell" - deeper cuts to education for young people would be even more unpalatable.

But it attracted far more opprobrium than it should have. It drew a petition with more than 50,000 signatures, and National sources say backbench electorate MPs were besieged to such an extent that a caucus revolt was narrowly averted.

She underestimated the public reaction to it and erred in understating the impact by saying it would affect only "hobby" courses such as Moroccan cooking and belly dancing.

Her performance has been inconsistent and she appears to have taken longer than many of her colleagues to come to grips with her portfolio.

There was a very close call days before the Budget, when she realised her plans to save money by keeping new entrant class sizes at a ratio of 1:18 instead of moving them to 1:15 would mean nearly 800 teachers already taken on would lose their jobs.

She admitted with astonishing frankness that she simply had not realised it was already in place at many schools and had thought it was something that was yet to happen.

The real test of her mettle in the portfolio will be in the implementation of national standards, the testing of primary and intermediate children in literacy and numeracy. Against vocal union protests, Mrs Tolley's sales job on the policy has been found wanting, as has the execution.