School attendance targets 'unrealistic'
By David Hill, local democracy reporter
A North Canterbury principal says school attendance targets are unrealistic in the present environment.
With a general election looming, politicians have been promising to fix declining school attendance rates.
But Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said the biggest barriers to school attendance targets were the Ministry of Education’s "inability" to negotiate a pay settlement with teachers and the mandatory seven-day Covid-19 stand down.
The Ministry of Education’s target is for all students to achieve 90% regular attendance at school.
That equated to just one day absent a fortnight, or six or seven days in a school term.
"Yes, non-attendance is a problem, but it is not because students aren’t attending school, it is because we are coming out of
Covid where hardly anybody in any industry is hitting 90% attendance," he said.
"It is a little rich for the Minister of Education to write letters to school principals asking them to get on board with attendance when the biggest factor impacting attendance at the moment is the Government’s inability to sign a contract with teachers."
While there was a lot of talk about non-attendance, Kearney said there was a lack of funding to enable schools to tackle the issue.
Rangiora High School recently employed an attendance officer from school funds to reach out to students in the 70-80% attendance category.
Rangiora New Life School principal Stephen Walters said the Ministry of Education should be putting more emphasis on student achievement rather than looking at attendance on its own.
"We looked at our data and attendance in term one was higher than last year, but it is still behind 2019.
"But the interesting thing is even though attendance is lagging, academic performance has been sustained and even improved slightly in some areas."
He said the Covid experience had led to a change in attituded towards wellbeing.
"I think Covid has taught us, if you are unwell stay home until you are well."
Walters said his school moved to "a hybrid learning style" 10 years ago, embracing online learning alongside learning in the classroom.
It allowed students to continue learning and engage with teachers when absent from school.
The results indicated it was working, he said.
Oxford Area School principal Mike Hart said attendance improved significantly in term one this year at 61.9%, compared to 43.7% for term one last year.
"Pre Covid-19 attendance in term one 2019 was 71.7% regular attendance, so we still have improvements to make, but the data so far is trending in the right direction."
Comment has been sought from the Ministry of Education and Education Minister Jan Tinetti's office.
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Poll: Do you think banning gang patches is reasonable?
With the government cracking down on gangs, it is now illegal for gang members to display their insignia in public places whether through clothing or their property.
This means arrests can be made if these patches are worn in places like restaurants, shops, on public transport or ferries, and on airplanes. Arrests were made recently at a funeral.
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Canterbury’s Woodend Bypass route confirmed
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
The route of the proposed Woodend Bypass in Canterbury has been confirmed - and it might look familiar to locals.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says it has decided the stick with the route which was first designated nine years ago.
Engineers reviewed the route after the Government gave them the green light in July to push ahead with plans.
The 9km stretch of road will provide an extension to the Christchurch northern corridor, otherwise known as the Belfast to Pegasus Motorway.
Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey has advocated for the project for several years and said he is thrilled at the latest announcements.
‘‘Many residents across the Waimakariri and further afield will be in no doubt about my passion for this project.
‘‘For far too long now, elderly residents of Woodend have missed medical appointments as they refuse to cross the main road due to safety concerns, and school children have run the gauntlet of getting to and from school.
‘‘Business owners have also suffered because customers refuse to stop on the main road due to traffic.’’
Waimakariri deputy mayor Neville Atkinson said it will be welcome news for local residents.
‘‘It has been a long time coming and the council has always been supportive of this project, so we are delighted that it is moving forward at the pace it is.’’
Last week, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to build an overpass to replace the Pegasus roundabout and provide better access for Pegasus, Ravenswood and Woodend residents.
He said NZTA will release a request for tender for detailed design and construction supervision this week.
The first stage of early works will likely begin in early 2026 with preparation for road widening to four lanes between Lineside Rd and Cam River, while the main physical works are expected to begin later in 2026.
An NZTA spokesperson said it is too soon for concept drawings to show what the Pegasus interchange will look like.
‘‘We’ll be able to share these as the designs progress during this next phase.’’
Details of how environmental challenges, such as two shingle pit lakes which have been created over the last decade, will be overcome have yet to be released.
Final costs have yet to be determined, but it is believed it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Woodend Bypass is one of the Government's first five roads of national significance.
The Government is considering roads of national significance to be partially funded by a toll.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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