Community Boards to meet with MoE regarding new school zone

Kia ora koutou We need your help - we need you to e-mail Ali Jones and Kim Money of the Papanui-Innes and Coastal-Burwood Wards before they head into a meeting with the Ministry of Education this week. Tell them that you want existing SBHS and AGHS areas included permanently in the new zone, not admitted through a problematic grandfathering clause. E-mail Ali Jones at ali-jones@ccc.govt.nz E-mail kim.money@ccc.govt.nz If you have been following the new zone changes for Shirley Boys' and Avonside Girls', you will know that the current zone has actually been left out of the new zone, but children in residence before 28 June, who stay at their current address till they start high school, will be admitted under a grandfathering clause. When you look at the details of this clause, it seems really problematic. A) It disadvantages renters compared to homeowners - someone might well rent within the area for the next 13 years, but the same residence continuously...? B) It divides and splits communities - why should my children have access but by neighbour's child down the road won't, just because she was unlucky enough to be born a month too late...? C) It will be a nightmare to prove years later that we have lived in our properties continously. D) The details of this clause seem to suggest that if someone had to move out long term for a rebuild, they would not qualify! The clause is a relief for those planning to start their sons/ daughters in 2019, but not a long term solution for our communities. The MoE has said they cannot keep us in zone permanently as it is possible that in the future these schools could become overcrowded. We say we should not be punished now for a vague possibility that could occur years into the future. If, in the future, in-zone enrolments pushed the rolls of SBHS or AGHS over capacity then the MoE would be entitled to review and tighten the zone boundaries. They do not need to cut us out now for a possible future problem that may never occur and could easily be addressed at the time if it did. We intend to keep fighting for full and permanent inclusion in the new zone, as that is what nearly two thousand people who signed this petition supported. The Papanui-Innes and Coastal-Burwood Boards are meeting with two representatives from the MoE this week. Kim Money said to StarKiwi "from her board’s point of view, the main concern is the Prestons subdivision, which has been left out" (https://www.star.kiwi/2018/07/board-fighting-suburbs-exclusion-in-combined-campus-school-zone/). While Kim has every right to be concerned on behalf of the Prestons residents in her ward, it would not hurt to remind her that Dallington and much of Shirley are in her ward too. Hopefully, as our elected representative, she has not forgotten our desire for permanent inclusion. E-mail kim.money@ccc.govt.nz Ali Jones expressed concerns over “the time frame that the MoE is putting on the temporary extension of the boundaries". It would be good to thank her for raising ths concern with the MoE and let her know that no temporary inclusion will satisfy the Richmond, Shirley, St Albans and Edgeware residents in her ward. We want a permanent solution. E-mail Ali Jones at ali-jones@ccc.govt.nz Also, don't forget to on-share this petition! John Laurenson has said he is willing to go to Wellington to get Prestons included in zone. We may also need to travel alongside him to take our case directly to Chris Hipkins - it would be more powerful if we could crack that 2000 signature mark. In the words of Ngāti Maniapoto rangatira, Rewi Mainapoto, "Ka whawhai tonu mātou, ake, ake, ake!" We shall fight on, forever and ever! We won't be giving up till we have a permanent solution for our families and communities.