High school timeline stoush
Campaigners wanting a college built at Ōmokoroa as soon as possible, say the Government is missing an opportunity to win votes by not formally announcing a construction timeline.
After buying land on Prole Road last November, the Ministry of Education indicated the likely opening date was towards the end of the decade.
In written replies to residents since, Chris Hipkins has stated the number of students isn’t sufficient to build the school yet - but indicated a softening of the Government’s position to 2025.
Campaigners say some local teens are spending almost three hours travelling 34km on a dangerously overcrowded bus each day - while construction would provide employment following the current Covid-19 crisis.
“The Government is well-placed to choose projects to both win votes and improve educational outcomes for young New Zealanders. With no announcement, this project is still on the shelf,” one tells Lizard News.
Campaigners believe the Ministry’s population figures are three years out of date, amid a residential boom.
A Ministry report to the Education and Workforce Select Committee in May 2019 predicted the local primary combined roll would be 1,193 students by the end of 2021.
At the time that was presented to the Government, they say the roll was already more than the prediction for 30 months’ time.
Campaigners believe most families would choose the closest option instead of a school an hour and a half away on a bus with a changeover at Bethlehem, or standing room only.
National MP Todd Muller has campaigned alongside the community. “The Government has signalled mid 2020’s. It isn’t good enough. You have to keep holding their feet to the fire, or it will continue to drift,” Mr Muller says.
His Coromandel colleague Scott Simpson believes the project ticks all the boxes and is at a loss as to why it hasn’t been fast-tracked. “The Ministry still seems to be looking for reasons not to accelerate the construction. That might suit their agenda, but it means years of unnecessary delay for students,” says Mr Simpson.
Labour’s candidate, Nathaniel Blomfield, says the process shouldn’t and can’t be rushed. “Planning has to be done, Council land rezoned, and site surveys. There is roading, fresh and wastewater to be established, then the construction. If there were to have been a new school any sooner than 2025, previous governments would have had to have purchased the land long before when this Government did.”
Ōmokoroa’s Rob Hunter, standing for The Opportunities Party, agrees there’s a vast amount of pre-construction work.
“The steps are all time consuming and must be completed correctly. The realistic timeframe is years. This is all contingent on the Ministry prioritising this project high enough up their development list for funding,” says Rob.
A public meeting for interested locals will be held on Monday 5th of October. See omokoroa.net/college