HUGE CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Pem Bird, Chairman of Nga Kura-a-Iwi o Aotearoa who has come out supporting the National Parties Policy on class size and Performance Pay, has clearly a huge undeclared conflict of interest, and worse still has put his political affiliations ahead of the needs of most Maori children in NZ..

The same Pem Bird is also President of the Maori Party, a Coalition Partner for the National Party.

“It is downright deceitful of Pem to not mention this huge conflict of interest. It’s no different to the President of the National Party supporting this Policy, “ says Pat Newman, a Ngai Tahu Principal working in Te Tai Tokerau .

He says “It’s a bit rich for Pem and Paora to make such statements when their own schools are not affected by the proposed changes. What they fail to disclose is the fact that increased class sizes affecting over 90% of Maori children in mainstreamed schools, will not impact at all on the Total Immersion Schools under Pem’s organisation’s wing, or any other Total Immersion Kura, including Paora Royal’s school.”

Mr Newman continued, “It clearly looks to me that the Minister is calling in political favours to support her unsupportable direction of increasing class sizes for mainstreamed schools, not just Intermediates. It is sad that Pem and Paora, without discussion with Te Akatea by the way, have put their political parties needs ahead of the vast majority of Maori Children who are in mainstreamed schools, effected by Parata’s actions, and not their Schools..”

[ENDS]

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