Tolley denies portfolio loss due to overwork

Education Minister Anne Tolley. Photo / Supplied

Education Minister Anne Tolley has defended herself against claims she has not been coping with the demands of her education portfolios.

As part of a minor Cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister John Key yesterday, Mrs Tolley was relieved of her tertiary education portfolio, which is being picked up by first term MP Steven Joyce.

"National standards is of critical importance to the Government," Mr Key said. "It's our number one objective in the compulsory education sector to see that successfully rolled out in 2010, and by relieving Anne Tolley of her tertiary responsibilities, I'm giving her the maximum opportunity to concentrate on a successive implementation of both national standards and the youth guarantee."

Mrs Tolley said today she had been working hard to implement the controversial national standards policy - a policy which is not going down well with many in the education sector.

Labour's education spokesman Trevor Mallard said the reshuffle was a sign Mrs Tolley was over-worked and not coping with what he considered a relatively light workload.

There had been a lot of correspondence and discussion over the national standards issue and Mrs Tolley "has just not been on top of what has been a very important issue for them", he told Radio New Zealand.

Mrs Tolley rubbished claims she was not coping, saying Mr Key would not entrust her with one of the party's most important policies if that were the case and the aim was to have more time to spend on the pressing issues.

Unions and education representatives have expressed frustration at Mrs Tolley's apparent lack of engagement with the sector over issues facing their sector, but she told Radio New Zealand progress was being made.

"People like the NZEI (New Zealand Educational Institute) have to get used to the fact that the Government has changed. The previous Labour government may well have talked to the sector for years and years about things they would like to do, but have done very little.

"This government talked quite extensively to the sector last year... we are saying now is the time for action - 150,000 kids are relying on those national standards to ensure they get a good education."

Kate Wilkinson takes on Tim Groser's conservation portfolio, and he receives the new title of Minister Responsible for International Climate Change Negotiations.

"This change reflects the fact that Tim Groser is frequently out of the country representing New Zealand's interests in the trade and climate change fields," Mr Key said.

- NZPA