A new charter school focused on sport will partner with the Wellington Phoenix Football Academy. Photo / Photosport
A new charter school focused on sport will partner with the Wellington Phoenix Football Academy. Photo / Photosport
A new sport-focused charter school designed to help young athletes “ignite a professional career” will open its doors next year.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour today announced the New Zealand Performance Academy Aotearoa charter school for football and rugby athletes will begin from term 1 next year.
Theschool will be based at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport in Upper Hutt, teaching what Seymour described as a “nationally recognised curriculum and world-class athletic development”.
It will initially provide training in football and rugby, partnering with the Wellington Phoenix Football Academy. Seymour said other sports would be added over time, based on student needs.
“The school will serve students with serious sporting aspirations, giving them the skills to ignite a professional career, while ensuring they get the academic education all students need,” Seymour said.
“Students will no longer have to sacrifice their education in pursuit of sporting dreams, or vice versa.
“There is absolutely no doubt that if this school was open when I was growing up, I would have been an All Black,” he claimed.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced the school this morning. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Seymour explained the students will learn “key skills such as leadership, how to build healthy relationships, how to look after their mental health, and nutrition”.
They will also have access to “flexible scheduling, personalised support, and top-tier coaching and facilities”.
The school was one of 15 charter schools operating or announced. Seymour said he expected more charter schools to be announced before the end of the year, alongside the first state schools to convert to charter schools.
Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.
