Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National): Thank you, Madam Chair. We all, of course, across this Parliament have a deep concern about our educational outcomes in New Zealand. We acknowledge that the most powerful route out of poverty is through education. We also have a Government that talks a lot about the knowledge economy, our bright future in technology and high-paying jobs, the green economy. And so, you know, the question that's on a lot of people's minds—to the Minister—is: how does he think New Zealand is going to prosper in this knowledge economy, in this technology-rich economy of the 21st century, this globally competitive, technology-based economy? How are we going to prosper in that when our maths performance, in particular, is falling off the pace—and it's one that's been the case for a while? You know, we started off around fourth in the Programme for International Student Assessment rankings for maths; now we're 22nd, and it is falling. I acknowledge the work that is proposed and I'm sure the Minister will mention the changes to the NCEA requirements around literacy and numeracy. But I do make the point that the real challenge is also at the primary and intermediate school, so no matter what you do when someone is 15 or 16 is always going to be a struggle. 