Hāwera street to close during school hours

A street that effectively cuts through the middle of Hāwera’s new school is to be closed during the day to protect students crossing it.

A section of Camberwell Rd divides Hāwera High School’s existing campus from Bayly Park, a sportsground opposite, which is temporarily a part of the new Te Paepae o Aotea campus.

Principal Rachel Williams said there will be 1150 students from year 7 to year 13 at the school when it opens in February 2023.

Te Paepae o Aotea will replace both Hāwera High School, which closes on December 9, and Hāwera Intermediate, which has already closed.

The new school will be on the Hāwera High School site, but will use 16 prefab classrooms on Bayly Park to accommodate students until the old buildings are demolished and the new school facilities are built.

During the next few years, its campus will be on both sides of Camberwell Rd, with students crossing to get between classes.

‘‘We’ve deliberately put the year 11-13 students at Bayly Park,’’ Williams told the South Taranaki District Council’s policy and strategy committee meeting yesterday.

But these students would go back and forth as their special classrooms, such as labs and workshops, are on the old school site.

‘‘Older students should be able to look both ways, but that’s not the way it is, and sometimes cars do fly through there, they go really fast,’’ Williams said.

The school was also working out where teachers and students’ cars would be parked, and how to manage drop-off and pick-up times.

Williams said she would ask the Ministry of Education to pay for any barriers or signs required, so it would not be a cost to the council.

The committee agreed to close the section of the road outside the schools between 8.30am and 4pm on school days.

The move is to be reviewed every 12 months.