Landbanking school a waste and unsightly, say residents

The sight of their district's school now abandoned, overgrown and neglected is upsetting, say Waiaruhe residents.

The school which closed in the late 1980s, was sold to the Office of Treaty Settlements (OTS) on October 30, 1997, Megan Heffield, the senior media advisor for the Ministry of Education, said.

OTS deputy director, Andrew McConnell told the Dannevirke News all surplus Crown properties subject to the Protection Mechanism are assessed for landbanking against a number of criteria. The Ministers of Treaty Negotiations and Maori Affairs consider, on the basis of any applications from iwi, whether a property should be retained for a potential future Treaty settlement.

"Waiaruhe School was transferred to the OTS landbank as possible redress in settlement of historic Treaty of Waitangi claims, after it had been vacant for a a number of years," Mr McConnell said.

Settlement negotiations in this region have not yet begun and The Office of Treaty Settlements has contracted property managers Darroch Limited, to manage the upkeep and maintenance of the school.

"The Office of Treaty Settlements welcomes any approaches from the community to lease the property," Mr McConnell said.

"Meanwhile, Waiaruhe School will remain landbanked until all historical Treaty claims relating to the area have been settled full and finally. This includes any claims of Rangitane o Wairarapa-Tamaki Nui a Rua and Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa-Tamaki Nui a Rua.

Former pupil, Graeme Lowe began his primary school days at Waiaruhe in 1962.

"It was a fantastic country school, especially when Beavan Hawley came to teach there," he said. "Our school was unique, just like other little country schools around the district at the time."

With a roll which varied between seven and 32 children during Mr Lowe's school days, participation in events such as gymnastics and music festivals were a feature of school life.

"The place has fallen to pieces a bit now and that's such a waste," he said. "But at least it hasn't become as bad as Hillcrest School in Dannevirke did."

In July last year, the old Hillcrest School classrooms were hauled away after a public outcry over their derelict state.

"They were removed because they were an eyesore and a place where criminals and vandals were reportedly hanging out," real estate principal, Craig Boyden of For Homes For Farms, said.

Hillcrest was left empty in 2005 after staff and pupils moved to the new Huia Range School on High St.

In recent years, the rotting Hillcrest School buildings had been vandalised and set on fire. A pile of timber, broken slabs of concrete were all that was left after trucks hauled away classrooms, leaving former pupils sad to see their well-loved school come to a sorry end.

Former Waiaruhe School principal, Beavan Hawley is appalled at the state of his former school and doesn't want to see it ending up like Hillcrest.

Mr Hawley arrived at Waiaruhe in 1968 and remained for 17 years. "Waiaruhe was the centre of the district for everyone.

"I loved the versatility of the school and the involvement of the whole district. I got to know the children just as well as my own children." he said.

"As principal I did everything. I taught Room 2, standard two and form 2 pupils, mowed the lawns, cleaned the toilets, was the school caretaker and I also looked after the school swimming baths. I even stepped in to drive the school bus, when regular driver Irene McNicol was unable to. That's what country schools are all about, total involvement."

"It's absolutely disgusting to see Waiaruhe School abandoned and neglected now, especially having been the caretaker who looked after it all. It's all overgrown. It's unbelievable that nothing is able to be done about it. It's so sad, because not long before the school closed we even had a new staffroom built."

Mr Hawley said in his 17 years at the school the roll fluctuated, peaking one year at 64 pupils.

"We were on the verge of becoming a three-teacher school, but a family left the district and so we remained at just two teachers."

Community involvement and fundraising was the key to the success of Waiaruhe, both Mr Lowe and Mr Hawley said.

"The district raised money for an adventure playground, complete with a fireman's pole the children could slide down. No one ever hurt themselves either. When Wairaruhe closed, the adventure playground went out to Matamau School, but that school is closed now too."

For Mr Hawley, funds raised by the community to purchase a piano for Waiaruhe School, still strikes a particulary happy note, all these years later.

"When I first arrived the school had no piano. Music is one thing children can take up particularly well, while having fun. We had music everyday and I was involved in Dannevirke primary school music festivals for 25 years. Before I arrived at Waiaruhe, the principal wasn't interested in music, but rather in sports, including gymnastics and when I first took over, I knew nothing about gym, so the children taught me. We were champion school in the country section for seven years."

But it was music which was always Mr Hawley's great love and he recalls when 18 schools contributed to Dannevirke music festivals.

"One year we had a massed choir of 300 sing, then just days later, at another performance, another choir of 290 sang. They were completely different choirs. We all looked forward to taking part in those unique occasions."

Schooling at Waiaruhe was a family affair for Margaret Mott whose parents both attended the school.

"School days were fun days," she said. "Behind the school was Gaisford's big hill which was covered in manuka and cabbage trees. At lunch times we'd slide down the hill, using the cabbage tree tops as sledges. We'd grab the stem and hold on. It's a wonder we didn't do ourselves an injury."

School picnics on the banks of the Manawatu River were also great community occasions, Mrs Mott said.

"It's disgusting to see the state of our school now though."

Waiaruhe School is one of a number of properties landbanked in the Dannevirke district. But it's not just schools which are being held by the Office of Treaty Settlements, Dannevirke real estate principal, Craig Boyden said.

"The ex police house on High St, the Tumu Timber yard in Mangatera and the former Dannevirke Nurses Home and land, which up until recently was operated as the Dannevirke Accommodation Centre, are also landbanked," he said.

Before the leasee at the Dannevirke Accommodation Centre was evicted, 17 oil drillers had been renting rooms in the huge complex and now the hope is the gracious old building will have a new life. In the meantime, Darrock Limited have ensured the grounds are tidied up. "No one wants to see this beautiful old building faling into disrepair," Mr Boyden said. Along with Waiaruhe, Awariki and Hillcrest Schools are also held in the landbank, while the former Horoeka School is now run as Old School Lodge, after it was purchased by Tina Reeve of Wellington.

"We have a lot of former pupils come back to check on the fate of their school," Tina told the Dannevirke News.

The former Waitahora School buildings were moved off the site in 2006 after they were sold to a Tokomaru couple, who intended turning them into a cafe and craft shop.

Mr Boyden has negotiated the sale of the Rua Roa School, which had been put up for tender. Its new owners are planning to transform the old classrooms into a home while they live in the school house.

A spokesperson for the Office of Treaty Settlements told the Dannevirke News Rua Roa school was not purchased for the landbank because it was not considered to meet the Cabinet-agreed criteria for landbanking.

There are a number of historical Treaty claims which relate to the area surrounding Dannevirke. Some of these claims related to the way in which land in the area was purchased out of Maori ownership, or compulsorily acquired for public works. Other claims addressed environmental issues, and provision of social services to Maori.

"Negotiations between the Crown and mandated claimant groups for the settlement of historical Treaty claims in the Dannevirke area are yet to commence and any proposed settlement redress will be identified through that process. Previous settlements in other regions have included the transfer of some Crown-owned properties and such an approach may be considered in your region," Mr McConnell said.

If you would like more information on landbanking and treaty claims on property go to www.ots.govt.nz.