Simon Bridges National MP simonbridges.co.nz

I pulled out the gumboots on Wednesday and headed over to the National Agricultural Fieldays at Mystery Creek. I know many Bay of Plenty people who make sure they get there every year.

Fieldays is the largest rural event in the country and is used by businesses as a launching platform for new technologies, and as a way to showcase themselves to local and international markets. New Zealand is at the leading-edge of agricultural research and innovation – and it was fascinating to see the products and services developed in New Zealand that will be sold and used all around the world.

Last week saw the first reading of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill. This bill implements the Government's policies aimed at a flexible and fair employment relations framework for both employees and employers. The improvements contained in the bill, around areas such as collective bargaining and the disclosure of personal information, will offer workplaces greater flexibility and remove unnecessary requirements. The bill has now gone to Select Committee for further deliberation.

Investing in our children's future success

I believe every parent wants the best education possible for their child.

Ensuring every child gets a good education is one of the most important things National can do to raise living standards for our future generations.

At the moment, four out of five kids are successfully getting the qualifications they need from school. National's plan is about getting five out of five.

We can, and we must, do better. We don't have a generation to waste.

The 2013 Budget increases spending on education for the fifth Budget in a row, because we want to ensure all children leave school with the skills they need to reach their potential.

In 2016, we want to have 98 per cent of school new entrants having participated in early childhood education (ECE). And in 2017, we want 85 per cent of 18 year olds to achieve NCEA Level 2 or equivalent qualification. These targets reflect our commitment to deliver better public services to New Zealand families.

At the moment, about 95 per cent of our children are participating in ECE, which means to reach 98 per cent we need 3000 more children participating every year.

To help us achieve that, we're investing $172.5 million over four years in new operating investment. The Government's total ECE investment in 2013/14 will be $1.5 billion, up from $860 million in 2007/08.

At NCEA level, currently about 74 per cent of all 18 year olds attain NCEA Level 2 or an equivalent qualification. So to reach our target of 85 per cent, we are re-focusing funding to specific programmes that will help keep students engaged, by investing $215 million more, over four years.

We will fund a new mentoring programme, and increase funding for the Ngarimu scholarships to support Maori students into tertiary education.

Additional funding will go to the Positive Behaviour for Learning initiative, and we're piloting two new programmes as part of the Prime Minister's Youth Mental Health initiative.

National also recognises the role parents and communities play in lifting achievement for our kids. So we're investing in an initiative to provide better information for parents and communities about how to engage with ECE services and schools to support their children.

The 2013 Budget invests more in education than ever before, recognising the priority it is for our Government. Education is a passport to a better life, and we want that for all New Zealanders.