Classrooms ‘not fit for a dog’
Prime Minister ‘unmoved’
Northland College’s ghetto-like conditions were not stirring Prime Minister John Key into fixing the neglect in Northland according to Northland MP Winston Peters.
“Despite a by-election loss and a promise to regain the trust of Northlanders, Mr Key has shrugged off the fact students are in dilapidated, rundown and neglected buildings that are mould-ridden and leaking,” he said.
“He merely stated in Parliament today that he was sure a programme would be carried out at the school. But the school has watched start dates for new buildings come and go.
“Mr Key denied that while $350 million of extra funding is going into Auckland schools, regions like Northland are missing out, despite the Northland College principal saying the process is hopelessly slow, and ‘I feel if we were in Auckland it would be faster.’
“How can (Mr Key) say he’s working hard and delivering for Northland when the illustrious Whananaki School has been waiting on an extra classroom for a year, and in the interim has had to use its library as a classroom and move all the books into corridors?” it’s getting harder and harder to make excuses. But nothing is going to happen by jumping up and down and carrying on. We just have to wait and see what the ministry decides.”
A decision was expected soon, but Mr Luders was wary of getting his hopes up. He had expected a decision soon after his arrival in 2013, but he did not see the ministry as being at fault. The college had “got this way because of mismanagement. But that’s not these kids’ fault either,” he said.
The process open and fair but was “just hopelessly slow”. He suspected that something would have been done by now if the school was in Auckland.
And he did not want to see the situation blown out of proportion to the point where it affected the roll.
“I am proud of all the students at Northland College. They are achieving some fantastic results despite their learning environment, and this needs to be focused on too,” he said.
“All our staff and students are committed to learning.”