National Party education spokesperson Erica Stanford catches up with Whanganui teachers

Erica Stanford on stage at Amdram Theatre in Whanganui. Photo/ Bevan Conley

Kiwi kids are being failed by the current government, National Party education spokesperson Erica Stanford says.

She was in Whanganui this week to visit Mosston and Keith Street schools and deliver a talk to principals at Amdram Theatre.

Stanford said there had been a solid decline in educational standards over three decades.

“I’m not pointing the finger at anyone but we’ve been failing our kids for a long time. It’s getting worse and not better.”

A solid, knowledge-based curriculum was a start in addressing that.

“Are we teaching our kids to read, write and do maths in the right way?” Stanford said.

“We [National] are focused on the science of learning and making sure our teachers are teaching in a way that is consistent with the best science and evidence.”

Getting enough teachers and making sure they were provided with the tools they needed was also important.

In a Chronicle article last month, some Whanganui teachers expressed concerns a change of government in October might make it harder to negotiate pay and conditions.

Stanford said that was an unfair statement.

“If you go back and look at all the pay negotiations National had with the unions, for the most part, we always kept up with inflation.

“We were always there or thereabouts. This government hasn’t managed that because they’ve mismanaged the economy.”

Her main focus was on supporting great teachers.

“It is clear, and has been for a long time, that the only thing that matters in educational achievement is the quality of the teacher in front of you.

“I want to know how to make teachers’ lives easier, so they are focused on teaching and learning, and less around the bureaucracy and forms they have to fill out.”

Stanford, the MP for East Coast Bays, said Mosston was an exceptionally good school.

“They have a wonderful principal and they are really driven on results.”

She is also the party’s spokesperson for immigration.

The current work-to-residence visa was three years, very elitist and very hard to get, she said.

As a result, New Zealand was ending up with people who couldn’t get into Australia.

“People are looking at Australia, where there are immediate pathways to residence for so many things.

“They [Australia] are being aggressive and targeting the people they want.”

While it could be quite gruelling, it was good to get around the country and hear what people were thinking, Stanford said

“Overwhelmingly, they want change. That’s the message I’m getting everywhere I go.

“A lot of people want change but they’re still shopping. That’s what this [campaigning] is all about.”

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.