8271 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Vocational Education

Written Question

Published date: 25 Mar 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	8271 (2026)
Question asked:	11 Mar 2026
Member asking:	Francisco Hernandez
Portfolio:	Minister for Vocational Education
Minister replying:	Hon Penny Simmonds
Answer received:	19 Mar 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_08271_2026
Document guid:	2f034937-1f8c-470a-99b0-54a044a1e797

8271 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Vocational Education: What policy changes, if any, have occurred in the Minister’s departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, following the Cabinet directive on 13 September 2024 that 'public services should be prioritised on the basis of need, not race'?

Hon Penny Simmonds: Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) is responsible for operational policy aspects pertaining to tertiary education, with overall tertiary policy set by the Ministry of Education. The only change to operational policy that TEC has made is to the calculation of the learner component in DQ3-7 – to implement the removal of the Māori and Pacific learner aspect of calculations, as per the change in the funding mechanism made by the Ministry of Education.