PRESS STATEMENT

What the Hekia Gonna Do Now?

MANA Leader Hone Harawira

Thursday 7 June 2012

“Dumping Hekia Parata’s flagship policy of bigger class sizes is not just a rejection of the policy” said MANA Leader Hone Harawira “it also calls into question whether Parata has the goods to be a Minister”.

Harawira said that in her role as Associate Minister of Energy, Parata had tried to convince New Zealanders that government could handle a deep sea oil disaster. “That of course turned into a massive public relations disaster when the Rena grounding showed government couldn’t even contain a minor oil spill 5 miles off the coast”.

“Her handling of the Moerewa School issue was another public relations disaster with the whole debacle being dragged through the media for weeks before Parata rammed through a solution that suited no-one but herself”.

Harawira said that Parata’s miserable attempt to sell bigger class sizes was the third strike against her, and added that “this policy wasn’t just a dumb idea, it was another public relations disaster from this Minister”.

“Just this morning Parata was refusing to meet with educational sector groups over the bigger class sizes policy, only to have the Prime Minister announce from London that should would have to meet with them”.

“And now this embarrassing back down”.

“Does the ‘Three Strikes’ policy apply to Ministers too?” asked Harawira “Life on the backbenches without parole …”

ENDS

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