PUPILS, whanau, teachers and supporters fighting to save Kawerau Intermediate School, gathered on Cuba Street today to complete their hikoi to Parliament.
The walking leg of the hikoi began with the students and ex students performing a passionate haka.
Seven buses left the eastern Bay Of Plenty town for Wellington yesterday to protest against Education Minister Anne Tolley’s decision to close the school.
This morning’s walk will be nothing compared to the toll on the community and students from the closure, says mother and teacher Melissa Hunia.
“Young children will have to walk an extra half hour just to get to school in the morning,” she says.
Ms Hunia says there is a strong community support for the school to stay, with over 2600 community members signing a petition.
There has been ongoing consultation about the closure of the school since September of last year.
Ms Tolley announced the closure on May 5 and gave the school 28 days for the school community to respond.
There response was to come to Wellington with about 300 people
“Anne Tolley said that there will be no more schools closed and here she is trying to close ours,” says teacher Ms Kokay, who declined to give her first name.
The school closure means more than 150 pupils will be affected and eight teachers including their principal will need to find new jobs.
Kawerau’s three primary, one intermediate and one secondary school were given a series of options which involved closures or mergers.
The option announced by Ms Tolley involves merging the intermediate school with Kawerau South primary, merging Kawerau North and Central primary schools, retaining Kawerau College and establishing a year one to 13 Maori language immersion school on the former central site.
More information on their progress and next steps can be found on their website
http://www.kis.school.nz/Keep_Intermediate_Education.html
Gareth Wallace followed the march from Cuba St to Parliament and recorded this photo essay:
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.