By Theresa Garner
Neighbourhoods threatened with exclusion from the proposed zone for one of Auckland's most exclusive schools have won their fight to send their girls to Epsom Girls Grammar.
The school board sparked an outcry last month when it revealed its draft zone boundary excluded areas of Mt Eden and Remuera,
which were part of the school's "traditional" catchment area.
Parents had feared for their children's educational prospects, and their house prices, as new laws preventing children being turned away from their local schools forced popular schools to draw up draft zones.
After listening to public submissions, the Epsom Girls board has increased the size of the zone on two boundaries, pushing it back to Upland Rd in the east, and Landscape Rd in the south.
Christine Bearman-Campbell, a resident of Cedar Rd, said she and others in her street were delighted to hear they were now included.
The Ministry of Education will have the final say on zones, but schools have been meeting surrounding communities to come up with their own zones, and prevent a decision being made for them.
The Epsom Girls board chairwoman, Dr Melanie Abernethy, said the school believed it could cater to all the students in the proposed zone.
While it would make some people happy, there would always be people who felt their needs were not being met.
"But we believe it represents the fairest option, given the requirement put on us."
Dr Abernethy said that if the school had its way, it would not have had to draw up a zone. "We would have preferred to work with our previous scheme [that catered for students living near the school] without drawing lines on a map."
About a third of students at Epsom Girls Grammar live outside the proposed zone.
