Tuesday, May 09, 2017



No future for charter schools

There's an election coming up, and Labour is reminding everyone that there is no future for charter schools:

The Labour Party remains opposed to charter schools and supporters like Willie Jackson don't have the ability to "change party policy".

For five years Labour has been against charter schools, introduced by the National government under a confidence and supply agreement with the ACT party.

Jackson, who announced he was running for the Labour Party in February, is heavily involved with Te Kura Maori o Waatea, a charter school based at Nga Whare Waatea Marae in South Auckland.

Labour's policy on charter schools has been under the spotlight since Jackson joined the party but leader Andrew Little says nothing has changed and the legislation that allows for the schools would still be repealed.

Chris Hipkins, education spokesman for Labour, said charter schools would face a range of options under a Labour government from closure to integration into the state school system.


Charter school operators and potential investors take note: you have no future. Your profiteering will end if Labour forms the next government. And even if they lose, that at best buys only three years. Your business model is doomed, and you should get out while you still can.