‘No clear direction’: Schools await fate of building projects
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Crunchtime is fast approaching for two North Canterbury schools bulging at the seams.
Woodend School and Te Kura o Tuahiwi are on the Ministry of Education’s list of 352 building projects under review.
The review is not expected to be completed until July.
Te Kura o Tuahiwi, a Māori immersion and bilingual school between Kaiapoi and Rangiora, was due to receive five new classrooms and a new hall, with building set to begin last December and be completed next month.
But it was delayed and is now on hold, pending the review.
Principal Dot Singh said the project was designed to take the school’s capacity to 230 students.
For the now school is sitting at its present capacity of 160, with another 33 pupils pre-enrolled to start later this year.
‘‘Now we are wondering where we will put all of those tamariki.
‘‘I feel they (the ministry) will come to the party in some form, it just might not be how we planned it.’’
Woodend School principal Andrew Retallick said his roll was continuing to grow faster than anticipated.
‘‘As off today we have 480 students enrolled, so now it is looking like we will have have at least 520 by the end of the year.
‘‘I’ve had 70 students enrol so far this year and we have 50 year 8s leaving at the end of the year, so it shows you how much we are growing.’’
The site’s capacity is about 490 and by using the school library as a classroom, Retallick said the school could cater for around 510 students.
The school’s growth comes on the back of the booming Ravenswood subdivision.
‘‘The toughest part is the uncertainty and having no clear direction, but I can’t do anything about it until I get some direction from the ministry,’’ he said.
Schools around the country are feeling the pressure while they wait for an update from the Ministry of Education’s review.
Education Minister Erica Stanford announced an inquiry in February, which immediately put the brakes on the projects.
At the time, Stanford said the scope of the building works were ‘‘unrealistic and unaffordable’’.
Ministry of Education Te Tai Runga (South) Hautū (leader) Nancy Bell said there were no updates on the North Canterbury building projects.
‘‘We continue to work closely with the schools in our planning to deliver roll growth teaching spaces to accommodate the schools’ in-zone rolls as required.’’
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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