Alwyn Poole raises a good question in a Kiwiblog article today:
Why do National and ACT demand accountability when they are in opposition – but suppress information when in government?
His question has been triggered by yet another example, this time regarding charter school enrolment numbers.
RNZ has reported:
RNZ has reported:
Why would they want those to be a state secret?
But before delving into those numbers, let’s go back a bit.
Seven of the publicly funded, private charter schools opened when the first school term of 2025 began in February.
At that time RNZ was reporting that questions had been raised about the effectiveness of charter schools, and there were concerns over how they would be monitored and how student achievement would be measured.
But the coalition government had set aside $153 million for 15 new charter schools and the conversion of 35 state schools for 2025 and 2026 and Charter School Agency chief executive Jane Lee told Nine to Noon that more schools were in the pipeline.
Some state schools could convert to charter school status later this year, the head of the Charter School Agency says.
She said she couldn’t discuss that number “because of the sensitivity around contracting … but some new and a number of converting schools.”
That’s not the only number that is being kept secret.
The latest RNZ report says the Charter School Agency has told the seven schools set up at the start of the year to keep their enrolment numbers secret.
The organisation, which manages charter school contracts and funding, told RNZ it was not appropriate to share information about the rolls of the publicly funded private schools.
“The Charter School Agency does not intend to release the numbers of students currently enrolled at each individual school during the crucial establishment phase as this could undermine their commercial position and their efforts to build their roll and deliver quality education,” it said.
“All schools need time to establish. Most state schools take around three years. The first charter schools have had less than one year to grow and reach their establishment roll by the fifth term of their operation.”
But two of the schools perhaps didn’t get the secrecy memo.
Tipene, a Māori boarding school south of Auckland, told RNZ it had 44 boys, while the Auckland French International School said it would start the third term with 25 pupils.
One of Tipene’s founders, Nathan Durie, said enrolments were higher than originally planned and it was clear the school was offering a type of education Māori wanted for their children.
“Kaupapa Māori, reo Māori are very sought after now in terms of the types of education that Māori people are looking for but they also want the opportunity for these kids to be… global citizens. And then working in particular special character aspects,” he said.
Durie said the charter system gave the school more flexibility in its daily schedule.
The French International School said it had students in Years 0-3 and expected to finish the year with about 40 students.
“The first two terms of the year have been very positive, with some students who did not speak a word of French in February now beginning to understand, write, and speak the language,” the director of the school’s board Yves-Louis Dorsemaine said.
He said the school was building three more classrooms because it had more than 60 confirmed enrolments for next year.
In his Kiwiblog article, Alwyn Poole congratulates Tipene and the French International School “for having the integrity to ignore the CSA”.
He argues that if you believe in a policy, use taxpayers money, and consider that you are doing a good/worthwhile job, “you talk about it”.
Oh – and the CSA is subject to the OIA, he says.
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
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