Summarised by Centrist
David Seymour’s call for mayors to support school attendance has landed awkwardly, with local leaders saying education is the responsibility of central government, not local councils.
In a letter sent to mayors nationwide, the Associate Education Minister encouraged them to champion attendance and engage with communities to get children back into classrooms.
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown said while school attendance was important, “it’s not a core role or focus of the council.”
Brown pointed out his council already funds Safer Mid Canterbury to the tune of $220,500 – an organisation contracted by the Ministry of Education to deliver attendance services.
“Council does provide funding to Safer Mid Canterbury, which demonstrates a commitment to supporting the wellbeing of our community,” said CEO Kevin Clifford. He noted attendance in mid-Canterbury was relatively high at 89.2 percent in Term 1, though still below the government’s 94 percent target.
Selwyn mayor, and Local Government NZ president Sam Broughton criticised the inconsistency of central government messaging. “Being told to just focus on the roads and water is a completely different message than ‘please also pick up this thing a minister wants’,” he said.
Seymour defended his appeal: “I’m calling on mayors to be champions for education in their regions. When students go to school, communities are stronger and better prepared for generations to come.”
