Bill English has today alleged the Prime Minister's misguided sense of equality is blinding her to charter school students' own wishes to continue in a unique education style.
In a heated beginning to Parliamentary question time today, the National leader accused the Prime Minister of refusing to visit New Zealand charter schools to get the students' own perspective on how they are taught.
"Has she seen a statement by a student from one of the school quote 'before attending this school I barely did anything with my life, I hated school and was never motivated to improve, but thanks to this school I have a chance on changing my life for the better'," Mr English asked.
Ms Ardern said she was not familiar with that specific quote but was "delighted to hear a child with a change to engage in their education".
"We want those children thought to make sure they are being taught in schools where they have registered and qualified teachers.
"We are working alongside those schools to make sure that they have a pathway to remain open, we're not asking much from them."
Advocates for the schools say there has been a lack of transparency about their future.
Labour campaigned on closing New Zealand partnership schools, and six partnership schools commissioned by the previous National Government have an uncertain future until February 2018, when Education Minister Chris Hipkins will decide to honour their contracts or not.
Today, the Prime Minister was adamant charter schools could remain in essence as they are, as long as qualified teachers who taught approved curriculum were introduced.
Mr English repeatedly asked if the Prime Minister would visit "at least on partnership school" to talk to the students about their experience, and views on whether their school should be closed.
"One thing I will say is it's this government's ambition to make every school the best school it can be, and there are a range of schools doing a fantastic job that actually all they've asked for is for those schools who the government gave special treatment to, that they be treated equally," Ms Ardern said in response.
"That means curriculum, that means having qualified teachers, and it means the same level of funding. There is a pathway forward for them and we're working with them."
Yet, Mr English said the uniform education the Labour party was aspiring to by further regulating charter schools, in curriculum and teacher qualification, may not actually benefit the students.
"If the Prime Minister's policy is that everyone be treated equally, what does she have to say to those students who believe that by going to one of these schools they're actually doing a lot better than at the school where they were treated equally."
In response the Prime Minister fired back at the National Party's own issue is with enforcing teacher education standards.
"I'd really be interested in what the opposition's opposition to is of having registered and qualified teachers actually is," Ms Ardern said.
Labour campaigned on ditching them but the schools say they're successful so shouldn’t be shut down.
Mr English continued to try and get an answer if Mr Ardern had visited a charter school to no avail.
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