<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-wrapper gmail-clearfix gmail-full gmail-pb-feature gmail-pb-layout-item gmail-pb-f-article-header" id="gmail-f965RS1YxtNN9r"><div class="gmail-text-wrapper"><div class="gmail-header-label gmail-section-national-color"><a class="gmail-has-section-color" href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=1"><span class="gmail-caps-header"></span> </a> </div> <h1> NZ First will be the only party in Parliament to oppose National's 'own' language policy  </h1> <div class="gmail-publish"> 11 Dec, 2018 2:43pm <div class="gmail-read-time"> <span class="gmail-clock-pic gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-clock-icon-9e9f9f"></span> 2 minutes to read </div> </div> </div> <div class="gmail-header-image-wrapper"> <img id="gmail-" class="gmail-responsively-lazy gmail-desktop gmail-loaded" alt="NZ First said the legislation would be" src="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/lyqZfQtytSQjz14qLA9AQ-yLWYQ=/620x349/smart/filters:quality(70)/arc-anglerfish-syd-prod-nzme.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VVRZBV6AURESLAOML35OY3YB5E.jpg">  </div> NZ
 First said the legislation would be "irresponsible at a time when our 
teachers are already under workload pressures". Photo / Mark Mitchell   </div> <div class="gmail-wrapper gmail-clearfix gmail-full gmail-pb-feature gmail-pb-layout-item gmail-pb-f-article-slimline-byline" id="gmail-f0yBJrsYxtNN9r"> <div class="gmail-byline gmail-default-border gmail-bio-with-share gmail-has-author"> <div class="gmail-author-name"> <span class="gmail-author gmail-author-space"> <div class="gmail-image-container"><img class="gmail-author-img" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/nzme/0e94a8df-9bcb-4ae4-8f23-c561b6776429.jpg" alt="Jason Walls"></div> <div class="gmail-bio-text"> <span class="gmail-author"> <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/jason-walls/"> By: <span class="gmail-section-national-color gmail-author-title">Jason Walls</span> </a> </span> <div class="gmail-author-bio">Jason Walls is a political reporter for the New Zealand Herald</div> <a class="gmail-author-attr" href="mailto:jason.walls@nzme.co.nz">jason.walls@nzme.co.nz</a> <a class="gmail-author-attr" href="https://www.twitter.com/@Jasonwalls92">@Jasonwalls92</a> </div></span> </div> <div class="gmail-byline-shares-wrapper"> <div class="gmail-byline-shares"> <div class="gmail-utility-tools"> </div> <div class="gmail-social-tools"> <a class="email gmail-tool gmail-first gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-email-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><a class="gmail-facebook gmail-tool gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-facebook-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><a class="gmail-twitter gmail-tool gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-twitter-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><a class="gmail-share-container gmail-tool gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-share-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><a class="gmail-bookmark gmail-tool gmail-last gmail-not-alone gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-bookmark-icon gmail-section-national" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><div class="gmail-hidden-shares extra-shares"> <div class="extra-share-wrapper"> <div class="gmail-icon-wrapper"> <a class="gmail-facebook gmail-tool gmail-first gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-facebook-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><span class="gmail-icon-name"></span> </div><div class="gmail-icon-wrapper"> <a class="gmail-twitter gmail-tool gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-twitter-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><span class="gmail-icon-name"></span> </div><div class="gmail-icon-wrapper"> <a class="email gmail-tool gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-email-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><span class="gmail-icon-name"></span> </div><div class="gmail-icon-wrapper"> <a class="gmail-linkedin gmail-tool gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-linkedin-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><span class="gmail-icon-name"></span> </div><div class="gmail-icon-wrapper"> <a class="gmail-google-plus gmail-tool gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-googleplus-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><span class="gmail-icon-name"></span> </div><div class="gmail-icon-wrapper"> <a class="gmail-whatsapp gmail-tool gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-whatsapp-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><span class="gmail-icon-name"></span> </div><div class="gmail-icon-wrapper"> <a class="gmail-pinterest gmail-tool gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-pinterest-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><span class="gmail-icon-name"></span> </div><div class="gmail-icon-wrapper"> <a class="gmail-reddit gmail-tool gmail-last gmail-share-button gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-reddit-icon" tabindex="_tbidx_">  </a><span class="gmail-icon-name"></span> </div> </div> <span class="gmail-share-close gmail-svg-bg gmail-svg-close-icon-white"></span> </div> </div>  </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gmail-wrapper gmail-clearfix gmail-full gmail-pb-feature gmail-pb-layout-item gmail-pb-f-article-body" id="gmail-fs5rD31YxtNN9r"> <div id="gmail-article-body" class="gmail-article-body gmail-article-body-elements"> <div id="gmail-article-content">  <p class="element element-paragraph">
 New Zealand First will be the only party in Parliament to oppose 
legislation which would promote teaching children a second language in 
school.</p> <p class="element element-paragraph"> In a statement, the 
party said the legislation would be "irresponsible at a time when our 
teachers are already under workload pressures".</p> <p class="element element-paragraph"> But given the bill has the support of the rest of Parliament, it would still progress to the select committee stage.</p> <p class="element element-paragraph">
 Former education minister Nikki Kaye won the support of current 
Education Minister Chris Hipkins and the Labour caucus, plus the Greens 
and Act, to progress her bill to select committee.</p> <div class="gmail-ad-container gmail-has-text gmail-max-width-300 gmail-max-width-300" style="max-width:300px"> <div class="gmail-ad-text-before">Advertisement</div>  <div class="gmail-ad-contact-text"><a href="https://advertising.nzme.co.nz/">Advertise with NZME.</a></div> </div>  <p class="element element-paragraph">
 But NZ First is holding out and said in the statement National left 
workforce constraints and funding shortfalls in the education sector 
that needs to be addressed first.</p> <p class="element element-paragraph"> It said expanding the primary curriculum is an unnecessary distraction at this time.<br>As
 well as this, NZ First wants to develop a similar curriculum 
progression document for New Zealand Sign Language, another official 
language.</p> <p class="element element-paragraph"> The bill requires 
the Government to set 10 priority languages – likely to include 
Mandarin, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Pacific languages and 
possibly Hindi as well as official languages Te Reo Māori and New 
Zealand Sign Language.</p> <p class="element element-paragraph"> It also requires the Government to resource the provision of those languages in primary and intermediate schools.</p> <p class="element element-paragraph"> Hipkins said there was real value in second-language learning.</p> <p class="element element-paragraph"> "Kids who do a second language generally tend to do better in their first language," he said.</p> <div class="gmail-wrapper gmail-clearfix gmail-pb-feature gmail-pb-layout-item gmail-pb-f-article-related-articles"> </div></div></div></div>

<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies                     <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone:  (215) 898-7475<br>Fax:  (215) 573-2138                                      <br><br>Email:  <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a>    <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>