Kerre Woodham: How can anyone not be critical of Labour?

I get texts on the daily from people saying “you're so negative about Labour”.  “You never have anything good to say about the last government. You're so critical of Labour.” And I say to them, how can anyone with a brain not be critical of Labour?! The gut feeling I had at the time that the previous administration was out of their depth and hopelessly incompetent has been proved with hard data, time and time and time again. The failure to deliver any kind of transformational reform, the failure to deliver on the absolute basics, the arrogance around co-governance, the breathtaking and utterly tragic waste of taxpayer money, more on that later, Treasury's report that came out yesterday slamming the governments spending during the pandemic just confirms everything we knew – but now this.  

Labour's absolute refusal to even acknowledge changes taking place within NCEA. The Herald has the story and its a good one. The Government offered Labour multiple opportunities to be briefed on the NCEA change process, but the party’s education spokeswoman Willow-Jean Prime initially didn’t respond to these invitations and then flat-out declined them. This after Hipkins said to the Herald last month that the Labour Government consulted with the then-Opposition to ensure changes were “going to be enduring” and expressed a desire for the current Government to do the same. A text message appears to show Stanford reached out to Prime about NCEA after the Labour MP took over the education portfolio from Jan Tinetti in March. 

“Hey Willow-Jean, congrats on the new role! Will need to get you up to speed with the NCEA change process. Jan and I had started working cross-party on this given the importance of our national qualification,” Stanford wrote, according to a screenshot provided. 

“Would be good if we could meet first and I can run you through where we are at and what the process is. There is a policy advisory group of principals who are working on the details and you can have access to them when they meet as well as my officials and also NZQA.” 

The Minister said her office would get in touch with Prime’s “if that’s ok?”. Nothing.  Tumbleweeds. Now I get that she doesn't have to like the changes. She doesn't have to agree with the change. But a letter along the lines of 'Thanks Minister, but I am philosophically and intellectually opposed to the changes you intend to make and I will be rolling them back once I am Minister. Nga mihi, Willow Jean' would have let everybody know where they stood. Nothing? No response at all?!  

Stanford's office reached out again in May. Again, nothing. In mid June, Stanford reached out personally and then when again, there was no response, Stanford emailed Chris Hipkins office on July 1. “I’ve sought on multiple occasions to get input from your education spokesperson on NCEA curriculum reform, with no response,” Stanford wrote to Hipkins on July 1. 

“It is important to have cross-party collaboration regarding a national qualification, and the offer remains open to arrange a briefing from officials or from the Professional Advisory Group.” 

The next day, an adviser for Prime emailed Stanford: “I acknowledge your email regarding NCEA curriculum reform."

“Willow-Jean has considered your email and declines the invitation." 

That is Labour's education spokesperson. Some one who is so rude, so out of touch, so out of her depth she refused to be part of transformational change. But no, this is not just Labour's education spokesperson, this is Labour. Out of touch, out of their depth, and while Chris Hipkins remains as leader, they should never be allowed anywhere near the levers of power ever again. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Carrywood and Morning's podcast from news Talk,
said B, do you know good morning?

Speaker 2 (00:13):
By the way, Newstalk said, B, do you know I
get texts on the daily from people saying, oh, is
so negative about labor. You never have anything good to
say about the last government. You're so critical of labor.
And I say to them when they write in, and

(00:34):
I say to them, now, how can anyone with a
brain not be critical of labor? In particular that last
inept hopeless group of incompetents who made up the government.
The gut feeling I had at the time that the
previous administration was completely out of their depth and hopelessly

(00:54):
incompetent has been proved time and time and time again
with hard data. The failure to deliver any kind of
transformational reform as prompt in fact, the failure to deliver
on complete and utter basics, the arrogance around co governance,
the breathtaking and utterly tragic waste of taxpayer money. More

(01:18):
on that later. Treasury's reports that came out yesterday slamming
the previous government spending during the pandemic only confirmed everything
we knew. But now this Labour's absolute refusal to even
acknowledge the changes that we're going to take place within

(01:38):
nca The Herald has the story and it's a good one.
This government offered Labor multiple opportunities to be briefed on
the nca change process, but the party's education spokeswoman, Willow
Gene Prime, initially did not respond to these invitations and
then flat out declined them. This after Hipkins said to

(02:01):
The Herald last month that the Labor government consulted with
the then opposition to ensure changes were going to be
enduring and expressed a desire for the current government to
do the same. He knew they had tried to when
he made that statement to The Herald. It started when
a text message shows that Stanford reached out to Willow

(02:23):
Gene Prime about NCIA after she took over the education
portfolio from Jantinetti in March, at reads, Hey, Willow gene
congrats on the new role. WILL need to get you
up to speed with the NCAA change process. Jan and
I had started working cross party on this given the
importance of our national qualification. Would be good if we

(02:44):
could meet first. I can run you through where we're
at and what the process is there's a policy advisory
group of principles who are working on the details. You
can have access to them when they meet, as well
as my officials and also nzd QA. The Minister said
her office would get in touch with Primes if that's okay.

(03:05):
Nothing tumbleweeds. That was Willow jen Prime's response. Now, I
get that she does not have to like the changes,
she doesn't have to agree with the changes, but a
letter along the lines or an email along the lines
of thanks minister, but I am philosophically and intellectually opposed

(03:28):
to the changes you intend to make, and I'll be
rolling them back once I'm minister Nami. Willow Jean would
have let everybody know where they stood a it would
have been polite to acknowledge the attempt to reach out.
It's just basic good politics. I mean, I can write
it for you, Willow Jane, I know what you want

(03:50):
to say. There it is. You could have done that
back in March. No no, no, no, nothing, no response
at all. Stanford's office reached out again in May, nothing tweeds.
In mid June, Erica Stanford reached out herself. She wrote

(04:11):
to Willo jen Prime personally. No response again. So she
emails Chris Hipkins office on July one, I've sought on
multiple occasions to get input from your education spokesperson. With
no response. She wrote that on July one, it's important
to have cross party collaboration regarding a national qualification. The
offer remains open to arrange a briefing from officials or

(04:33):
from the professional advisory group. The next day, July two,
an adviser for Prime emailed Stanford, I acknowledge your email.
Willow Jane has considered your email, declines the invitation. That
is Labour's education spokesperson, someone who is so rude, so

(04:54):
out of touch, so out of her depth. She refused
to even acknowledge an invitation to be part of transformational change. No,
who knew. That's not just Labour's education spokesperson. This is
Labor so out of touch, so out of their depth,

(05:16):
and while Chris Hopkins remains as leader, they should never
be allowed anywhere near the livers of power ever again.

Speaker 1 (05:24):
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