Call for new Omokoroa high school
A Whakamarama mother has started a petition to convince the Ministry of Education to build a new secondary school in Omokoroa.
Jo Linthwaite said a high school northwest of the Wairoa River would alleviate the pressure on local schools due to roll growth. Linthwaite said most of the primary schools in the area were struggling for space.
“All these students need secondary education. Most go to the colleges in Tauranga, all of which are overcrowded,” she said.
A new high school in Omokoroa would also help lower the number of motorists travelling the deadly stretch of State Highway 2 into Tauranga.
“Parents often go in and out of town to drop their children off at school,” she said.
Linthwaite said a new high school would open up the opportunity to include sporting and other extra-curricular activities in the area so people wouldn’t have to travel in to town.
Hundreds of people blocked the Wairoa Bridge last week to protest Government inaction and decision-making delays about the transport corridor between Bethlehem and Waihi.
The Ministry of Education had recognised there was a need for a high school in the area, Linthwaite said, but nothing had been promised.
“We are not interested in a five or 10-year plan,” she said.
“We want it now.”
Western Bay of Plenty college students north of Tauranga were zoned for Katikati College or they could travel to the nearest high school.
Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller was backing the petition and said the population had “quadrupled” since he went to school in Omokoroa.
“We need to move now to secure the land so we can build the school over the next few years,” he said.
“We have got many fantastic schools in town, but we need one in the west.”
Western Bay of Plenty District Council resource management manager Philip Martelli said the council was preparing a structured plan for Stage 3 of growth for Omokoroa.
Four possible options for the layout of the structure plan were to be released for consultation Tuesday.
Ministry of Education sector enablement and support deputy secretary Katrina Casey said the ministry was working with the Western Bay District Council to consider schooling options.
Casey said funding was approved for added capacity at Omokoroa Point School in 2017 and the ministry was discussing enrolment zone changes to best manage the short-term growth.
‘All these students need secondary education. Most go to the colleges in Tauranga, all of which are overcrowded.’
— Jo Linthwaite