Push for new secondary school in fast-growing suburb

A campaign is under way for a high school to be built in Christchurch’s fastest-growing suburb.

Halswell has five primary schools and 20 early learning centres, but no high school, forcing students to attend schools in Christchurch and Selwyn.

The Halswell Ward – which includes the suburbs of Halswell, Wigram, Aidanfield, Kennedys Bush and Westmorland – is one of the largest urban growth areas in the South Island. Its population is forecast to double from 20,400 in 2013 to 40,000 in 2033. The population is currently around 30,000.

About a dozen subdivisions have been added in recent years, some fast-tracked since the earthquakes.

Of the 2700 new homes consented across Christchurch in 2020, 387 were in Halswell, or more than 14 per cent.

Halswell businesswoman Lydia Tait has gathered evidence to demonstrate the need for a new composite school for students in years 7 to 13.

The mother of two primary aged children has also raised a petition calling for the Ministry of Education to act now, before the area’s population increases further.

‘‘You hear it so often, people say ‘it would be great to have a high school in Halswell’, but no one is doing anything about it,’’ she said.

‘‘There’s going to be a huge need for another secondary school.

‘‘It would take pressure off other schools and make a sense of community with children going to a high school in their area.’’

Many Halswell children attend Hillmorton High School which last week announced five temporary classrooms to cater for its increased roll.

Halswell has a larger population than both Lincoln (7783) and Rolleston (19,720) combined, yet both areas had a high school, Tait said.

Failing to build a new school would mean funnelling a huge number of children into Hillmorton High, causing overcrowding.

‘‘Then they might look at building a school.’’

She said a possible location was on Crown land in Milns Rd.

According to the Canterbury Construction Report 2020, Halswell leapt ahead of the Christchurch central city last year in terms of the number of building consents.

The number of consented dwellings in Halswell eclipsed every other suburb in Christchurch. There were 387 in 2020, compared to 264 in the central city and 205 in St Albans.

‘‘This is a 77 per cent increase over the 219 dwellings consented in Halswell in 2019,’’ the report said.

The number of consented dwellings in Halswell was equal to the combined number in Sydenham (123), Spreydon (104), Linwood (99) and Richmond (61).

Christchurch City Council’s ward profile said Halswell teenagers attended a number of secondary schools within the city and Selwyn.

The lack of a ‘‘commonly attended school base’’ created ‘‘additional challenges for those working in the youth sector to achieve connectivity and identity amongst young people’’, it said.

Tait’s petition attracted 417 names and would be presented to Parliament by Tracey McLellan, MP for Banks Peninsula.

‘‘Halswell is a growing area and understandably residents want to know more about future plans for schools in the area,’’ McLellan said.

The petition was an opportunity for the select committee to hear from the ministry about its plans.

However, Wigram MP Megan Woods said there was room for further growth at Hillmorton High School which ‘‘currently has 1000 on its roll, but it has capacity for 2000’’.

It is 4.4km from Sparks Rd and Halswell Junction Rd to Hillmorton High School.

Helen Hurst, deputy secretary sector enablement and support at the ministry, said there was no need for an additional secondary school in the southwest of Christchurch as there is ‘‘currently surplus capacity in the schools that serve this area’’.

‘‘We closely monitor the rolls of all schools, and the local secondary schools are well-placed to accommodate the secondary school-aged children,’’ she said.

The ministry’s National Education Growth Plan 2030 expected ‘‘an additional 1000 school-aged students would require access to a local state school by 2030’’ in Halswell.

‘‘Beyond 2030, the population growth in Halswell is expected to continue, but at a slower rate.’’