‘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.
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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