KEY POINTS:
An inner-Auckland school feeling the squeeze of population growth is being forced to introduce zoning rules, thwarting parents from the suburbs who drop off their children on the way to work.
A zone restricting entry to Freemans Bay School, the closest state primary to Auckland's central business district,
is due to be implemented next month on orders from the Ministry of Education.
The move - which will see the entire cluster of inner west primary schools in the Ponsonby, Newton and Pt Chevalier areas zoned - is tipped to stymie a trend of suburban families enrolling children in a school near the parents' inner city workplace rather than their home.
Parents cited Auckland's traffic and peace of mind as factors.
"You do feel quite anxious if you have to face the traffic to pick your kids up from school," said Freemans Bay School principal Sandra Jenkins.
About a third of Freemans Bay School pupils live in the outer suburbs.
The school's roll grew by 100 pupils last year, to reach about 420 students.
Auckland inner city schools cluster president Hoana Pearson said most schools in the group had reached capacity and the others were approaching it. Freemans Bay was the last school in the cluster in the process of developing a zone.
"It's pretty full on," said the Newton Central School head.
The ministry is undertaking preliminary work to determine the capacity of the inner city schools and forecast population.
Figures on the proportion of Auckland schools with zones - also called enrolment schemes - were not available.
Data for the combined Auckland and Northland region showed 35 per cent of schools were zoned, compared with 26 per cent nationally.
Auckland Primary Principals' Association immediate past president Ken Pemberton said there was so much growth a new school could be needed in the inner city.
He said the ministry had been slow to look at future needs in the area.
"They don't have any property in central Auckland to build another school - that's the real issue - and therefore it's impacting on parents' choice."
PROPORTIONS
Of Freemans Bay School pupils:
* 26 per cent live in Freemans Bay
* 26 per cent live in the central business district
* 18 per cent live in greater Ponsonby - including Grey Lynn and Newton
* 30 per cent live further out, many with parents who bring them in when they come to work
SOURCE: Freemans Bay School Board of Trustees
NEW ZONE THREATENS FAMILY LIFESTYLE
For the Westons of Waterview, sending son Jonathon, 7, to Freemans Bay School simply made sense.
Parents Russell and Christine both had jobs in town _ meaning they could travel in the car with their boy before dropping him at the gate then nipping on to work.
Mrs Weston said it made things easier after school as well.
"[You can] leave at 2.45pm or 4.45pm, if he has afterschool care," she said. "Whereas if he's going to school out where we live, it's a 15 minute commute extra on top of anything else."
Jonathon is one of about 100 students at the school who do not live nearby. The parents in many of these families work in the city, others are attracted by its Maori immersion unit.
It maximised their time together and time in the office and has worked well for more than two years.
But there's a question mark over whether youngest child Jessica, 3, will be able to get in once a zone is introduced next month.
As the sibling of a current pupil, Jessica will get priority for a ballot place for out-of-zone students.
The enrolment scheme will not apply to current students.
