Schools become full primaries to tackle area’s population growth
Another primary school in the Nelson region will cater for older children in its community, to help accommodate thousands of extra pupils forecast in the area.
But any new school in fast-growing Richmond appears to be some way off.
Appleby School opted to change from a year 1-6 school (up to age 11) to a year 1-8 school (a ‘‘full primary’’) under Ministry of Education proposals to help ease pressure on the only intermediate school in the catchment.
The primary school was due to expand to a year 7 programme in 2026, and to year 8 in 2027, under the process, known as ‘‘recapitation’’.
It followed an announcement in 2021 from another year 1-6 primary, Wakefield School, that it would recapitate – catering for year 7 pupils in 2024, and year 8s in 2025.
Both primaries said their families would still be able to choose to send their children to Waimea Intermediate while they transitioned to full primaries.
But the schools were then due to be removed from the intermediate’s enrolment zone, and to have their own zones.
During consultation, about 20 parents of children at Wakefield School expressed concerns that their children might miss out on social and learning opportunities if they could no longer go to Waimea Intermediate, saying the intermediate offered a wide range of activities, ‘‘modules’’ and resources.
Waimea Intermediate principal Justine McDonald said it would be a shame if the community lost the opportunity to choose between an intermediate and a full primary.
A child could be more suited to one rather than the other, she said.
Appleby School principal Justin Neal said about 70% of its community was in favour of recapitation.
‘‘There is an element of choice that people appreciate, but I think that that’s outweighed in the end by the benefits of this for our school and our community.’’
A priority for many parents at Appleby School was for their children to feel like they belonged in the community they lived in, he said.
‘‘The biggest benefit probably is that whole ability to be . . . a complete wha¯nau, with little kids and older kids.’’
Recapitating offered pupils leadership opportunities, with full primaries already in the region providing specialist programmes for senior pupils, Neal said.
However, Appleby School still needed to work through how to provide older pupils with the ‘‘hands-on technology aspect’’, and was working with Wakefield School on this, he said.
Three options the ministry proposed to manage growth forecasts in the Waimea catchment were to build a new primary school on a new site and recapitate five primary schools (Ranzau, Appleby, Brightwater, Hope and Wakefield); to relocate Ranzau School to new facilities in Richmond West, and recapitate the others; or expand schools in the area when the demand occurred.
Brightwater School principal Glenda Earle said her school had decided not to proceed with recapitation at this point, after ministry advisers suggested that it would not be an easy option from a property perspective.
Hope School had yet to start consultation.
A decision by Ranzau School last year to move to a new site remains unconfirmed by the ministry.
The ministry’s Hautu¯ (Leader) Te Tai Runga (South), Nancy Bell, said there was no current agreement to relocate Ranzau School, but the option remained open.
Land the ministry had acquired three years ago for a potential future primary school – a 3.06ha site – had ‘‘yet to be designated for educational use’’, she said.
Ministry projections from 2020 predicted an estimated 2830 additional households in the Waimea schooling network by 2028, and 9445 extra dwellings by 2048.