Candidates in firing line over school deal

Auckland Mayor John Banks. Photo / Greg Bowker

Political pressure is coming on Auckland City Mayor John Banks and Citizens & Ratepayers councillors over their decision to move Monte Cecilia primary school for parkland.

Angry teachers and school parents plan to use the upcoming Super City elections to get Mr Banks and C&R candidates in the Albert-Eden-Roskill ward - former mayor Christine Fletcher and councillor Paul Goldsmith - to explain themselves over the plan.

Cathy Casey and Glenda Fryer, the likely City Vision candidates for the ward, support keeping the school within the park.

Friends of Monte yesterday issued a newsletter to hundreds of supporters saying the move was not a done deal because the sale by the Catholic Diocese to the council still faced many legal, procedural and political hurdles.

This followed a majority decision by C&R councillors on the finance committee to give the go-ahead to close a deal to buy the school and the Liston retirement village to provide more open space around the historic Pah Homestead.

Finance committee chairman Doug Armstrong would not say how much the project would cost ratepayers before final sign-off at next week's council meeting, except it was between $25 million and $30 million.

A member of Friends of Monte, lawyer Michael Jamieson, said the group was planning to outline the issue and apply pressure on candidates to explain themselves at the first Super City elections in October.

Mr Jamieson said that when Mrs Fletcher was mayor in 2001 she was "in the 20-1 majority that approved the school staying".

The group also planned to oppose a private plan change allowing the council to build a new school about 1km away on land at St John Vianney Church in Hillsborough Rd, Mr Jamieson said.

Mrs Fletcher said she recalled being sympathetic to the needs of the school, which the church was keen to move, but wanted to be briefed on developments since then before coming up with a position.

"I think the park is a good thing, I'm delighted with it, having been involved with it from the beginning. But I also want to ensure that the school is going to be maintained at the same standards that it is at the moment. It is going to be looking to find a position that accommodates both those objectives," she said.

Last night, Mayor Banks said he respected the views of teachers and parents, but the move to a state-of-the-art new school would not occur for five years. The project had been on the books for a long time with the support of the Catholic Diocese, he said.

"From day one I have been supportive of this incremental acquisition of this magnificent piece of real estate in the centre of the isthmus in an area deprived of great public open space.

"We are going to have a magnificent gifting of a private art collection in a truly great Victorian piece of our architectural heritage."

A $7.9 million restoration of the homestead to house the $50 million art collection of businessman James Wallace is due to be opened in July.

The 25-unit Liston village was established by the Archbishop Liston Memorial Foundation in 1982 for people aged 60 years and over on lower incomes.

All the residents have a licence to occupy, which means that while they do not own the units, they can stay for the rest of their lives.

The Catholic primary school has occupied a site behind the Pah Homestead with stunning views to Manukau Harbour for more than 50 years.

MONTE CECILIAA
* Catholic school in Hillsborough Rd, opened in 1952.
* It has about 220 pupils.
* The council has gradually been acquiring land for Monte Cecilia Park from the Catholic Church since 2000 and has first right of refusal to buy the school land.