By REBECCA WALSH education reporter
Plans to turn one of Auckland's oldest kindergartens into a fee-paying childcare centre have angered parents.
The Auckland Kindergarten Association says years of falling rolls mean Myers Park Kindergarten can no longer remain as a free kindergarten.
It wants it to charge for childcare, but needs approval from the Auckland City Council parks and recreation committee to alter the terms providing for use of the building, which was built in 1916 by Sir Arthur Myers for the association to provide a free kindergarten.
Tanya Harvey, general manager of the association, said the kindergarten was licensed for 45 children a session, but a total of only 30 children were enrolled for both the morning and afternoon sessions.
The roll had dropped because fewer people lived in the area. Parents of children who attended the centre had also indicated they wanted full daycare facilities.
The proposed childcare centre would operate under Kindergarten New Zealand, the company set up by the association two years ago to make a profit.
It would operate as a fees-based, early childhood and education centre, with a kindergarten-based curriculum.
Mrs Harvey said any profit would be channelled back into other kindergartens in the association.
All children at Myers Park Kindergarten would be relocated to other kindergartens in the inner city.
But Rian Voet, parent and chairwoman of the Myers Park Kindergarten committee, said about 15 parents had signed a petition opposed to the proposal.
Dr Voet said parents had not been properly consulted and the building's explicit purpose was to provide free childcare.
"It's a historic, beautiful building. It was given to the city for the purpose of free childcare. I think it should be used for that."
In its submission to the council, the association said it could not be established with absolute certainty what the provision of a free kindergarten service meant in the original deed of gift.
Victoria Carter, president of the Auckland Kindergarten Association, an Auckland City councillor and a member of the Hobson Community Board, said that if the demographics of the area changed and the roll increased it would revert to a free kindergarten.
Last night, the Hobson Community Board voted to support a fee-paying childcare centre.
It also voted to support up to five free kindergarten places and to allow the children on the present roll to complete their time at the kindergarten.
Changing times at kindergarten
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