12. Hon LIANNE DALZIEL (Labour—Christchurch East) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
Is she satisfied with the quality of the reports she has received on the proposal to close Aorangi School; if so, why?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
Yes, I have received reports from the Ministry of Education, from the school, and from an independent facilitator, and they have all provided useful information.
Hon Lianne Dalziel Link to this
Has she received professional accounting advice to confirm the costings of the closure option, in light of the significant errors that have been identified in the ministry briefings; if not, will she undertake to obtain this independent analysis before making her decision final?
No. I say to the member that the net saving from closing the school against the cost of rebuilding it is an estimated $1.468 million, but we are not able to predict exactly where the children will go, and, therefore, what the cost of any extra buildings might be.
Catherine Delahunty Link to this
Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou katoa. Is she satisfied that the education of tamariki learning te reo Māori at Aorangi School will be protected if the school is closed, given the complete absence of bilingual units in neighbouring schools, and the long-term and particular relationship that the school has developed with Ngāi Tahu?
I have made it clear in all the discussions that I have had with the board of trustees and the community that should Aorangi School close, I intend to pursue bilingual provision in that community area.
Hon Lianne Dalziel Link to this
Is the Minister aware that the ministry’s briefings have failed to include its own roll growth projections for the network, both in terms of the costs and in terms of the capacity of the network to absorb the students from Aorangi School should it close, and, therefore, that the figure she just gave the House is patently wrong; and will she review her decision?
As I said to that member in a previous supplementary answer, that is an estimated amount; it is impossible to tell what the exact amount might be until we know exactly where those children go and what arrangements we have to make to take care of them.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Kia ora tātou. Has she seen the advice from the Ministry of Education that proposes—without explicit consultation with affected schools—that the bilingual unit could be moved to another school in the area; and in its experience, what is the closure rate of bilingual units when they are opened without community support?
Yes, I have seen that advice. Yes, I am confident that should Aorangi School close, a new bilingual unit could be established. The ministry will work with local schools and Ngāi Tahu to ensure the continuity of bilingual provision in the area.
Hon Lianne Dalziel Link to this
In light of the Minister’s comments before, will she agree that the school could remain open if it is established that it is less costly to rebuild it than to close it, that there is insufficient network capacity to absorb the students over a 10-year period, that the roll has grown this year, not fallen, and that the school can build within budget now that it has accurate figures from the ministry?
The reasons for my decision to close Aorangi School have always been the cost of the rebuild, that it is a small school whose roll has fallen, and that there are four other schools in a 1.5 kilometre radius.
Hon Lianne Dalziel Link to this
I seek leave to table a transcript from a Newstalk ZB programme where the Minister stated “that the decision I had to make isn’t about buildings and figures so much as about what’s in the best interests of the children.”
Mr SPEAKER