$15m Govt boost for last four Maori boarding schools
WELLINGTON: The Government has allocated almost $15 million towards upgrading the country’s last four remaining Maori boarding schools.
Maori Development Minister Willie Jackson announced the final allocation of the $20 million investment in the schools from last year’s Budget.
Hato Paora College is a Maori boys boarding school near Feilding that has a roll of about 100 pupils.
It has received almost $3 million from the funding pool.
Hato Paora College tumuaki (principal) Nathan Matthews was grateful, saying it would help with long overdue refurbishments and rebuilding the hostel.
‘‘This is our 75th anniversary year jubilee and the buildings sort of show that we’ve reached that age, so I think it’s very necessary for our hostel that there needs to be some investment to raise the standard so that our students, our tauira, have a better experience and environment to live in,’’ Dr Matthews said.
The school’s roll had also dropped over time, which he thought came down to a lack of resources for all four Maori boarding schools.
‘‘You also look since the year 2000 the closing of Saint Stephen’s, the closing of Queen Victoria, the closing of Turakina and Hato Petera, so you’d say the whole sector has suffered from what I would say is a lack of resourcing and support — so this is a great step towards remedying that,’’ Dr Matthews said.
St Joseph’s Maori Girl’s College received just over $6 million in government funding.
Trust board member Rakeipoho Taiaroa said an earthquake report in 2017 showed the school needed some serious repair.
‘‘It identified firstly the chapel needed to be basically closed and that’s been closed ever since and also part of the accommodation area as well as some of the infrastructure. So the infrastructure is still quite old and the new buildings would have come around certainly at least 70 years ago,’’ Mr Taiaroa said.
The current repair bill was estimated at $25 million and climbing, he said. So far, the school had just under $9 million. — RNZ