New entrants at Westmere School, from left - Kate Tapper, Charlee Kellar, Rosa Burrell, Jane Smitton, Molly Kaye and Olivia Thompson. Photo / Kenny Rodger
New entrants at Westmere School, from left - Kate Tapper, Charlee Kellar, Rosa Burrell, Jane Smitton, Molly Kaye and Olivia Thompson. Photo / Kenny Rodger
KEY POINTS:
Westmere is in the midst of a baby boom - pushing the local primary school to its limit.
Westmere School principal Carolyn Marino said the number of new entrants was up by a third this year on the usual number from past years.
The school roll was thebiggest in 20 years.
While wider New Zealand has the highest birth rate since the 1970s, Ms Marino believed the changing demographic of Auckland's inner west, and infill housing, played a part in Westmere's baby boom.
"I've been in this school five years now and when I came it was a retired estate environment with lots of older people," she said.
"Gradually as they've died off younger families have moved into the area."
The number of babies born to Westmere families at Auckland City Hospital between January and the end of September almost equalled the total number for last year.
Census figures showed a steady rise in the last decade in the proportion of under-5s living in the suburb, bucking the downward national trend.
Last year, the 420 under-5s accounted for 8.9 per cent of Westmere's population, while nationally the figure was 6.8 per cent.
Ms Marino said even the local Plunket service commented on the phenomenon.
Westmere mother-of-three Sarah Kaye said families in the area seemed to be getting bigger as well.
"It used to be that people had two children but now a lot of my friends are having three," said Mrs Kaye.
"I want four."
Her eldest, Molly, 5, started at Westmere School in August.
Ms Marino said the school had no extra Government funding for new buildings, so was using creative measures to accommodate new arrivals and keep class sizes down.
