School zones include suburbs

Families who campaigned to stay in the catchment zone for Shirley Boys’ and Avonside Girls’ high schools have been vindicated after the Government scrapped a proposal to exclude them.

But the schools’ announcement – that the new enrolment area will include suburbs in their current zones but not Marshland, which they wanted in zone – means the fight is not over, local residents and principals, John Laurenson and Sue Hume, said.

The two prinicpals had ‘‘mixed feelings’’ about the decision, which will be reviewed again in May next year. The zone, confirmed by the Ministry of Education yesterday, takes effect in January ahead of the schools’ relocation to QEII Park in April.

Laurenson, the principal of Shirley Boys’, said he was ‘‘very pleased that we have accommodated the existing zone’’ families. However, he was ‘‘bitterly disappointed’’ that the Marshland area was not included.

‘‘We will renew the fight again in May . . . and we won’t have changed our argument at all.’’

The initial proposal to include Marshland, but cut the Shirley, Avonside, Richmond, Edgeware and Dallington suburbs out of the schools’ zone left locals feeling ‘‘abandoned’’.

It sparked a 1900-signature petition opposing the change, and drew support from local officials, including Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel, who said she would not have championed selling part of QEII Park for the schools’ rebuild had she known their zone would exclude those suburbs.

Yesterday, the ministry said the schools’ desire to include both its current zone and Marshland, where many eastern suburbs families moved after the earthquakes, ‘‘presented a significant risk of sustained overcrowding at both schools’’.

‘‘A considerable amount of time has been spent discussing future zone options with both schools, with the aim of ensuring they can effectively manage future demographic and roll changes,’’ said the ministry in a statement. ‘‘We have ensured that we have not excluded any more areas than necessary.’’

Hume, the principal of Avonside Girls’, believed students from Marshland, many of whom attended the school already, could be accommodated but ‘‘this is the zone that the ministry has required us to put in place’’.

She said data to substantiate or disprove concerns about overcrowding would be available by the May review.

Some eastern suburbs residents who campaigned to stay in zone were dissatisfied with news the zones would be reviewed, fearing the decision was ‘‘a time-buying exercise’’ and that exclusion was still a possibility.

Resident Margaret Stewart said she and other families would continue campaigning and were prepared to take their fight to the ministry in Wellington.

‘‘It’s not acceptable to be in transition; we want to be there forever.’’

Dallington Residents’ Association chair Bebe Frayle said communities would be better prepared to campaign against the change again next year.

Burwood Ward councillor Glenn Livingstone, who represents the area, said it was ‘‘understandable residents are looking for continuity given what they have been through in the last few years’’.

‘‘The ministry know our views; they have had a fairly strong voice, the community, so they know if they go back on that ... there will be an uproar.’’

‘‘It’s not acceptable to be in transition; we want to be there forever.’’ Resident Margaret Stewart