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# Face of the Day
- URL: https://goodoil.news/face-of-the-day-1267/
- Published: 2025-08-08T18:30:01.000Z
- Updated: 2025-08-08T18:30:00.000Z
- Description: More than three months after the initial invitation, Prime wrote back and declined the invitation. But that was only after Stanford went around her and straight to Hipkins.
- Author: Good Oil Staff
- Tags: Face of the Day

> Labour leader Chris Hipkins told his party’s education spokeswoman Willow-Jean Prime she should have responded to attempts the government was making to brief her on the NCEA change process.  
>  
> But he doesn’t believe it was unreasonable for Prime to wait to speak with teachers and parents before meeting Education Minister Erica Stanford.  
>  
> Prime is, for the most part, standing by her actions but has acknowledged she could have explained to the minister why she wasn’t initially taking up her offer.  
>  
> She also [responded to ACT leader David Seymour saying he would have sacked](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/ncea-changes-erica-stanford-offered-labour-invitations-to-briefing-willow-jean-prime-didnt-respond-and-then-declined/TARBJJK54RBAPPNMT7FOBYC63U/?ref=goodoil.news) her, by saying, “I’m glad he’s not my leader, and he isn’t my leader”.  
>  
> It comes after [revelations from the *Herald* this morning that Stanford and her office wrote to Prime](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/ncea-changes-erica-stanford-offered-labour-invitations-to-briefing-willow-jean-prime-didnt-respond-and-then-declined/TARBJJK54RBAPPNMT7FOBYC63U/?ref=goodoil.news) on multiple occasions over several months inviting her to be briefed on the NCEA work programme and meet with officials, but the Labour MP initially didn’t respond.  
>  
> More than three months after the initial invitation, Prime wrote back and declined the invitation. But that was only after Stanford went around her and straight to Hipkins.  
>  
> A few weeks later, as the [*Herald* was reporting that NCEA changes](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/ncea-changes-briefing-raises-concerns-over-qualifications-credibility-education-minister-erica-stanford-to-announce-proposals/WDSIREDPDJFLFOOPZLDHNIQLL4/?ref=goodoil.news) were coming soon, Prime sought a meeting with Stanford. This couldn’t happen before the reforms were publicly announced this week but a meeting is now in the works.  
>  
> NZ Herald

[Read More](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/ncea-changes-labours-chris-hipkins-told-willow-jean-prime-she-should-have-responded-to-briefing-offers/JNCQHXW7BVFRFDTO5XMWZ7RIUE/?ref=goodoil.news)