75366 (2024). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills

75366 (2024). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills: What guidance, if any, has the Minister's departments, if any, given staff regarding attendance at Hikoi mō te Tiriti on 19 November 2024?

Hon Penny Simmonds: In accordance with the Public Service Commission’s advisory, dated 7 November 2024, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) advised staff that if they wanted to participate in the hikoi they could do so in their own time, and would need to: • discuss leave arrangements with their manager • ensure they were familiar with and followed the TEC Code of Conduct • followed the Public Service Commission guidance on political neutrality. The TEC also provided staff with the website link to the Public Service Commission’s guidance sheet, titled ‘Political Neutrality – personal political activity’. I have been advised by New Zealand Qualifications Authority that it provided the following information on 11 and 18 November via emails to its staff: - to be prepared that traveling to work will take longer than usual and plan alternative routes; - to remember the importance of maintaining political neutrality; and - if planning to attend the Hikoi, this must be done in their own time. In regard to the Ministry of Education and Education New Zealand, I refer the Member to the Minister of Education's response to written parliamentary question 75435 (2024).