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