Another Parata f*ck-up

Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, December 12th, 2012 - 53 comments
Categories: education, Hekia parata - Tags:

What I like about Hekia Parata is that’s she’s proof that image doesn’t always triumph over substance. The Nats thought that as a good-looking Maori woman she ticked all their PR boxes. But, she’s been a PR disaster because she’s arrogant and ignorant. She keeps on making bad, poorly worked-through calls. And the whole government gets dragged through the muck with her.

This latest example must have Key ready to sack her. A court has found Parata acted illegally when she ordered Salisbury School for girls with special needs in Nelson to close and planned to send some of the girls to a similar boys’ school in Christchurch.

Parata acted with disregard for the safety of those girls by ignoring evidence that they were seven times more likely to be sexually abused in a co-ed environment. How Parata could ignore the sexual abuse issue, which is serious in these types of residential schools for young people with special needs, is beyond belief.

Cather Delahunty is right. Parata’s “out of her depth”.

53 comments on “Another Parata f*ck-up ”

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  1. mickyviper in solidarity 1
    12 December 2012 at 7:55 am

    Agreed entirely.

    Ms Parata had argued that there was no evidence to suggest handicapped adolescent girls would be more vulnerable if moved together with boys.   But Justice Dobson said that seeing the risks took “no great leap in logic”.

    This is gentle judicial speech which reinterpreted into ordinary language would have a meaning along the lines of “you have to be out of your f*&^%$# mind.”

  2. CnrJoe 2
    12 December 2012 at 8:07 am

    my very favourite sort of headline – anything with Parata and Fuck in it

  3. andy (the other one) 3
    12 December 2012 at 8:12 am

    Q) Who is the Labour spokesperson on Education?

    A) I don’t know either!

    Another day, another stuff up from the Govt, must be time for Labour to shoot themselves in the foot with in fighting or open mouths and change feet moments to take the media spotlight off government.

    Note to Mr Shearer:

    If you want my vote, come back in the new year firing on all cylinders. I went through your list of MP’s this morning. Half of them could have gone missing in the Auckland tornado and no one would have noticed, another third are just made up names with stock photos. The remaining ones with profile could be trimmed in half and all you end up hearing on radio is Jacinda and yourself.

    I understand that being in opposition is difficult, cut through as they say is not easy. But if you do a year in review, 2012 was complete shite.

    Regards
    Mt Albert Voter

    • Lanthanide 3.1
      12 December 2012 at 9:10 am

      Once again showing why I think Cunliffe would have been much better of if he’d just run by himself, rather than that ‘double-ticket’ business he did in picking an invisible wall flower as his running mate.

      • Northshoreguynz 3.1.1
        12 December 2012 at 10:40 am

        I suspect she is more interested in Tainui politics than the national scene.

        • Tom Gould 3.1.1.1
          12 December 2012 at 11:39 am

          It is interesting when you run down the short list of the ‘C’ people. They are each okay in their own area, which is pretty much their profession before coming into politics. Beyond that, they’re out of their depth, just lazy and entitled I guess.

      • ScottGN 3.1.2
        12 December 2012 at 6:46 pm

        What? So David Cunliffe”s failure was to to pick an invisible wall flower Maori lady as his running mate? Come on you lot. The putsch failed. Get over it.

    • Chris 3.2
      12 December 2012 at 1:44 pm

      That’s a good point – I really have no idea who Labour spokesperson on education is and that is inexcusable given how crap Parata is.

      Edit – just looked, apparently it is Chris Hipkins which may explain it. For some reason I find him very forgettable which is strange given he is one of the more distinctive looking politicians.

      Second edit – Apparently he is only associate spokesperson what the hell is the actual spokesperson doing

  4. bad12 4
    12 December 2012 at 8:28 am

    The Board of Trustees that Govern Salisbury School have expressed legitimate fears that Parata, who seems to have gained Her empty suitcase of intellectual rigor from the same place as Slippery the Prime Minister, will simply go away and come back having reached the same decision,

    I am still tossing up my view of Parata which is wavering between the extremes that Her actions in the education portfolio are a deliberate attempt to trash the standard of education across the whole system, (perhaps She harbors the view that by lowering the moral and the standards and out-comes of public education She can make Charter Schools look good),

    Or,

    That Parata to all extents and purposes is a functional idiot in terms of intellect where Slippery the Prime Minister has become enamored of Parata’s glib ability while campaigning for the Mana electorate and even He has mistaken what could best be described as Parata’s quick witted rat cunning in an election campaign as some form of deep seated intelligence,

    I would expect that Slippery,the Prime Minister, will remove Parata from the education portfolio in His New Years Cabinet reshuffle, (depending of course just HOW close they actually got to each other during the Mana campaign),

    The only good thing that can be said of Parata in Her current guise as Education Minister is that She is doing one hell of a job on losing votes for Slippery’s National Government…

  5. Dv 5
    12 December 2012 at 8:38 am

    She is also getting spectacularly bad advice from her ministry.

    Class sizes
    Novopay
    Chch schools
    Charter schools
    Salisbury

    Back down on the PPTA pay claim (Taking 42 clawbacks of the the table)
    seeking sponsors of charter schools before legislation allowing their establishment has even been passed

    Telling PPTA that individual contracts for teachers could have averted the novopay shambles

  6. karol 6
    12 December 2012 at 8:45 am

    I can remember a time when Parata was being touted as a possible future Nat leader, based on her oratory skills.  But, it now looks like she’s limited in the communicative skills.  She’s very good at giving speeches without needing to refer to her notes.  However, she isn’t anywhere near as good as the Supreme Slippery One in talking dog-whistle gibberish, impressing some crucial people in the MSM and getting the likability vote from many members of the public.

    I have taught in special needs schools, including one residential one.  It required constant vigilance, and well-though out systems, because there were always some students (mostly boys, especially teenage boys), who would victimise, persecute and/or exploit more vulnerable students.

    • bad12 6.1
      12 December 2012 at 8:51 am

      From your description i have to wonder if they,(the special needs boys),didn’t all go on to become National Government Ministers…

      • karol 6.1.1
        12 December 2012 at 8:56 am

        bad, there is indeed a similarity – although, the student hierarchy of abuse was most often based on a physical might-is-right principle, whereas Nat ministers’ one is based more on wealth, status and cronyist power, and the use of the slippery tongue, and statistics sleight-of-hand.

    • Dr Terry 6.2
      12 December 2012 at 4:41 pm

      Maybe Parata had better start using some notes, not that this is likely to improve her dreadful performance.

  7. Akldnut 7
    12 December 2012 at 8:54 am

    Parata’s “out of her depth” = The gift that keeps giving

    The longer she stays in a position of power the easier it will be to stack up the list of screw ups leading into the next election.

  8. Tracey 8
    12 December 2012 at 8:55 am

    who would have thought anyone could begin to make Tolley look good???

  9. Lefty 9
    12 December 2012 at 8:58 am

    Does Labour have an education spokesperson?

    The Greens seem to full the space by default.

    They do it very well too.

    • tc 9.1
      12 December 2012 at 10:17 am

      Yes its a maori woman holding a maori seat seat…..not that you’d notice. So much potential by the useless Parata squandered by the invisible Mahuta.

      I know it’s a carefully plotted strategy to jump out and surprise the NACT a few weeks out from election 2014….mmm clever.

    • Dr Terry 9.2
      12 December 2012 at 4:42 pm

      Absolutely, Lefty!

  10. Lanthanide 10
    12 December 2012 at 9:09 am

    I believe the illegality revolved around the fact that if you send girls to a boys school, it is no longer a boys school.

    There may have been other aspects involved as well, though.

    On the face of it, it is then rather a technical problem that can be remedied by changing the designation of the boys school to a co-ed school and they can still go ahead with their plans.

    It also makes them look rather ridiculous that they could stumble over such an obvious problem.

    • deano 10.1
      12 December 2012 at 9:55 am

      nah, the judgment is clear that it’s both that the school is a boy’s school and the safety issue for the girls

  11. Leopold the Viper 11
    12 December 2012 at 9:40 am

    Would be nice if Labour had an education spokesperson…what put me off beingy happy with Cunliffe (among other things)- his pick of Mahuta as deputy. Hipkins may be a little red weasel, but he does have a go at shooting that fish in a barrel, Parata.

  12. Populuxe1 12
    12 December 2012 at 10:37 am

    Parata is the perfect illustration of this:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle 

  13. Maggie May 13
    12 December 2012 at 12:01 pm

    The government has China building big factories in NZ where product goes in one end and finished product comes out the other end ready to be shipped to China.

    This government has already decided they do not need educated children to work in these low paid factories that’s why they don’t want to educate them in the first place, and we all know China does not like paying a living wage.

    If I was young I would be thinking very hard before I had any children in NZ or go overseas first.

  14. Rodel 14
    12 December 2012 at 12:47 pm

    Parata should resign …and let the associate MOE control things.. he’s been too quiet lately.
    (That’s a joke..no no It really was a joke!)

  15. Phil 15
    12 December 2012 at 2:24 pm

    Erm, sorry, but is it OK for a minister to act “illegally”?
    Was legality not one of the Key standards for maintaining his confidence?
    Have I missed something?

  16. TightyRighty 16
    12 December 2012 at 2:28 pm

    the real scandal is the unionised teachers who can’t teach a damn thing except sing a longs and finger painting. that will help us when these kids actually need to use math. Railing against tourism is an industry when your pet unions are busy grooming kids for nothing better than being order takers at a fast food outlet.

    • Pascal's bookie 16.1
      12 December 2012 at 2:46 pm

      Yeah, that’s the real scandal.

      Not the one with evidence, and a ruling from a judge, about the minister’s cavalier disregard for keeping kids safe from sexual assault.

    • One Tāne Viper 16.2
      12 December 2012 at 2:54 pm

      teachers who can’t teach a damn thing except sing a longs and finger painting.

      Um, citation needed much?

      So many poor wingnuts needing their reality checked. Nurse!

    • framu 16.3
      12 December 2012 at 3:56 pm

      so incredibly divorced from reality its hard to tell if its a wind up or not

      spin around a bit TR – your spring of unfounded allegation and sanctimony is wound waayy to tight.

      If you stick your arms out while you do it you might also knock a few things over at the same time.

    • Dr Terry 16.4
      12 December 2012 at 4:48 pm

      TR – so what is wrong with sing-a-longs and finger painting? Seems to me that this is where you need to start!

    • Pakeha-Jaffa 16.5
      12 December 2012 at 8:53 pm

      Do you want a hug sweetly, poor thing, so angers – have a wee nap and everything will be all right.

  17. feijoa 17
    12 December 2012 at 4:23 pm

    I believe Nanaia is expecting a baby very soon / now
    Therefore plentyof time /advance notice for Someone else to step up
    With such a gift to labour you’d think Shearer would have this covered by a hard hitter

  18. lenore 18
    12 December 2012 at 4:51 pm

    I don’t think Key will even care myself espeically since he is such a twat. He is probably just thinking “you have to break a few eggs….” so there are a few stuff ups to get to what he really wants which is to make money for his millionaire mates

    feel a bit cynical today – realising it sucks being a public servant because we are no longer allowed to do heaps of things to help the “public” or provide a “service”. It is all about business now.

  19. JonL 19
    12 December 2012 at 6:06 pm

    I’ve just had a gutsful of the whole sorry show – the Nats for their imbecilic arrogance and corrupt, greedy, ideological bullshit, and Labour for doing SFA about any of it – opposition – what opposition! If you take their lack of critical ability at face value, you’d think they actually approve of most things the Nats are doing.

    Perhaps that is their strategy – like the Democrats in the US! Let the open nasties do the dirty work, then take power and do nothing to redress it?

    Thank god for the Greens and Mana to at least try and put up some sort of opposition to the crap that’s going on.

    National? Labour? They are both pathetic excuses for representatives of the people!

  20. Matthew Viper Hooton 20
    12 December 2012 at 6:18 pm

    I believe that Hekia Parata is a Labour Party agent, planted deep undercover into the National Party in order to discredit it, in retaliation for National’s successful Clare Curran plant into Labour.

    • Rhinoviper 20.1
      13 December 2012 at 6:16 pm

      Keep to your day job Hooters. You’re not Oscar Wilde, whose jokes provoked real reflection. Instead you’re slow and about as successful a standup comedian as Gerry Brownlee. You think you’re funny, but the audience is awkwardly silent.

  21. Pascal's bookie 21
    12 December 2012 at 6:51 pm

    Bloody unions and shit and kids can’t read and labour and stupid civil servants and bloody unions ten million dollars an hour fucking crazy.

    https://twitter.com/JohnJCampbell/status/278737749568282624

    • Pakeha-Jaffa 21.1
      12 December 2012 at 8:54 pm

      Do you want a hug sweetly, poor thing, so angers – have a wee nap and everything will be all right.

  22. Northshoreguynz 22
    12 December 2012 at 7:09 pm

    Who is calling for the ministers resignation?

    • Neoleftie 22.1
      12 December 2012 at 8:06 pm

      Why would the left call for this total muck up of a MP to resign when she is part of the clown brigade that will help lose the election for key.

  23. Don't worry be happy 23
    12 December 2012 at 10:30 pm

    I thought John Banks was Associate Minister for Education (hence all the garbage about Charter Schools and SAS ‘heroes’ wanting to teach and how all information about what corporation is making money from our kids grants must be exempt from the OFI…)

    So how come when the media can’t seem to find hide nor hair of Parata they always seem to be able to locate a rather startled looking Craig Foss but never John Banks. Has he forgotten that he’s Associate Minister? Does he think that extra money in his account each week is from another ‘anonymous’ donor?

  24. Roy 24
    13 December 2012 at 9:29 am

    Is it possible her ministry is deliberately feeding her bad advice in order to make her look bad? Or is that too risky a path for a ministry to take? Just wondering.

    • lenore 24.1
      13 December 2012 at 5:50 pm

      no she has her own agenda where she acts before thinking things through – a bit like Paula Bennett