School holds out against closure orders

A Northland school threatened with closure is waiting for the Government to make the next move in their stand-off.

The Education Ministry has ordered tiny rural Orauta School, near Kaikohe, to close next year, but the community has vowed to occupy the school.

Board of trustees chairman Ken Brown said the ministry had written letters asking to meet the school's leaders, and wanted the personal details of the 30 students, to organise their transition to their next school.

But Orauta has not complied with the request. Two weeks ago the school wrote a seven-page letter stating parents did not want to give any personal information.

The letter also outlined why parents would not co-operate. The reasons included assurances under the Treaty of Waitangi that Maori had tino rangatiratanga (the right to govern themselves), Mr Brown said.

The school was playing a game of chess with the ministry.

"We've got another move up our sleeve and when we move, everybody will notice it," he said.


Some of the changes the school has already implemented to run itself include changing its name to Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Maara o Hineamaru Ki Orauta (Maori school in the garden of our ancestor Hineamaru in Orauta) and setting up a Maori trust to manage its assets.

Students were as adamant as Mr Brown that their treasured school would not close.

A Year 8 boy said all the students were whanau (family) and supported each other.

"We can't merge because you can't merge the mana [integrity] of one school with another," said the 12-year-old, referring to the Government's former plan to merge the school with nearby Te Kura Kaupapa o Taumarere.

A Year 6 girl liked the fact that students helped the principal to make decisions.

"I want him [Education Minister Trevor Mallard] to come here and tell me to my face that we have to go," the 10-year-old said.

The ministry did not immediately respond to questions, but Mr Mallard has previously said he would not allow the school to operate next year.

- NZPA