Building to start on two new schools for Ōmokoroa next year, Education Minister Jan Tinetti confirms

Omokoroa, pictured in 2021, is swiftly growing with two new schools confirmed for the area. Photo / George Novak

Construction of two new schools in Ōmokoroa will begin next year, Minister of Education and Tauranga-based MP Jan Tinetti has announced.

Between them, the schools will initially cater to more than 1100 students in the fast-growing Western Bay of Plenty community.

In a media release this afternoon, Tinetti said the schools will be a new primary school and a secondary school in the southwest of the coastal township.

“The recent consultation with iwi, other schools, and the local community shows there is strong support for new schooling to manage the demands of a growing population,” Tinetti said in the statement.

Ōmokoroa Primary School would initially provide 350 places for Year 1–6 students, with capacity to expand the roll to 550.

Ōmokoroa Secondary School would initially provide 800 places for Year 7–13 students but could grow to a roll of 1200.

Tinetti said the Ministry would call for nominations for an establishment board. This was expected to be completed in the first half of 2023.

The board would work with the community to develop the vision and values for the schools and determine how they will operate.

Minister of Education Jan Tinetti. Photo / NZME

The board would also work with the community and Ngāti Ranginui to establish a new name for the schools.

The statement said the ministry had worked in partnership with Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi, and the Western Bay of Plenty District Council and in particular hapū and mana whenua Piriraku to plan the new schools.

Last year’s Budget allocated funds for planning and design of the schools, with the intention that construction on the Prole Rd/Ōmokoroa Rd site would begin in 2024.

The statement did not include an indication of when the schools would open.

The schools are long-awaited, with a petition calling for a secondary school in the community started in 2018.