Erica Stanford: Education Minister on the temporary fuel support aimed at rural schools

Temporary fuel support is being funnelled into keeping rural schools up and running.

The Education Minister's speeding up replacing diesel boilers for up to 70 schools.

Our smallest schools are getting one-off $2500 grants - and student commute allowances are being hiked 30 percent for 5000 students.

Erica Stanford says mileage support's more than doubling for relief teachers at remote schools. 

"If it doesn't make financial sense for you to go out and drive to a rural school, then you may not choose to do that, and we don't want that, it's already difficult enough for them to get relievers." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Here, the duplessy Llen government announced immediate relief for schools
and the fuel crisis. There we're money to replace diesel
boilers and also an increase in mileage rates for relief teachers.
And the Education Minister, Erica Stanford, is with us high Erica. Hello,
we're talking about seventy schools here, are we.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
That's for the boilers. Yes, So the schools that still
rely in some way or completely on diesel to generate
heat in their schools. And some of those will be
able to fix pretty quickly in the next three to
six months. About twenty of them a bolt will be
able to do next year, and there are a few
really big complicated schools are going to take slightly longer.

(00:38):
We'll have to change some of their piping and power
and bits and pieces, so that will take slightly longer,
but everything will be done by twenty twenty eight.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Okay, and then goodness, you're not planning for this fuel
crisis to so we're going on in twenty twenty eight,
are you?

Speaker 2 (00:55):
No? But look, we have to replace these diesel boilers anyway,
so we're just accelerating the work program. We want to
make sure the school sure that schools have confidence that
into the future, if there is continuing volatility, they won't
have to worry. And so it's just a work program
that we're accelerating. But more importantly we heard from schools.
We actually went out in and phoned and visited every

(01:17):
single school in the country to get a picture of
what's happening for them, and there were some scenes that emerged.
One of them was the boilers, but more importantly relief teachers.
So part of today's announcement was of course increasing their
mild rates for our relief teachers so that they actually
choose to go out to those rural and isolated school.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Well, I was going to ask you about that, is
that because they are not are they declining jobs?

Speaker 2 (01:37):
Well, they have the choice of where they work. If
you are a relief teacher, and if it doesn't make
financial seas for you to go out and drive to
a rural school, then you may not choose to do that.
And we don't want that for our rural and remote schools.
It's already difficult enough for them to get relievers, and
so that's why we're up to the rate for those teachers.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Now, what's going to happen at caucus tomorrow. Is there
going to be a vote?

Speaker 2 (02:01):
I've not heard anything like that. Not all.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Okay, so, and there's obviously two different kinds of votes
that can happen. You can have a no confidence vote.
You haven't heard anything about that.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
No, not a thing. Looking honestly, he absolutely nothing. I
have been hid down, tail up education reforms, the fuel package,
worrying about making sure kids are in schools. No one
is talking to me. I'm not talking to anyone. I'm
expecting tomorrow we actually talk about issues that matter to
New Zealand. Is it not ourselves?

Speaker 1 (02:32):
What do you reckon? Is the Prime Minister wrote. When
he says it's only five disgruntled MPs.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
I wouldn't have a cloe. I'm not talking to them.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
Do you think there needs to be a vote either
way to put this thing to bed once and for all,
so you guys have clear air through to November.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
But I know that the Prime Minister has the support
of his caucus.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
If he has the support of his caucus, he'll call
a confidence vote, won't he.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
I don't think there's any reason for him to to
put it to bed. I don't think there's any reason.
Ok If someone wanted to call a conference vote, they
would have done so by now. The fact is he
has the support of Caucus, He certainly has my support,
He has the support of Caucus, and there hasn't been
any reason for that to happen. And look, frankly, we
are all so focused on the current field situation and

(03:16):
our own portfolios and what matters to New Zealand is
we don't actually sit around talking about these things.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Okay, Erica, thank you for your time, good luck as everything.
Eric is Standford, the Education Minister. For more from Heather Duplessy
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