Whangaehu School near Whanganui struggling to transport students efficiently after van catches fire

This Whangaehu School van is out of action after it caught fire while principal Trish Reddish was driving it. Photo / Supplied

Everything was fine and dandy as Whangaehu School principal Trish Reddish was driving the school van home late last year.

Until it wasn't.

Reddish was taking the van home to assist with some weekend jobs when she was startled by a popping sound and the vehicle began overheating.

"I'd just got to Marton, the van crawled around the corner and then flames were coming out of the engine," Reddish said.

"We had to get the fire extinguisher out and that was the end of that. Unfortunately, the engine had absolutely had it."

Board of trustees member Larry Collard is a mechanic at Whangaehu Garage and he confirmed the van had made its last journey when picking it up.

Over four or five years, the 1998 Ford Econovan was of vital importance to students and staff of the school located 16km south of Whanganui.

It was used to pick students up for school, to take them home and to visit places such as the Whanganui Regional Museum, art galleries, Kowhai Park and Splash Centre.

It even transported the students to cities such as Taupō and Wellington for camping and field trips.

Reddish said losing the van was a disaster.

"It's unbelievable the opportunities the children had just because we could drive them places.

"We're feeling like our arms have been tied behind our backs because now we've got to rely on trying to fund a rental which we struggle with because of our financial situation."

The school has one red van remaining which is also old and Reddish is worried that the school may lose students who travel in from afar if it was to break down as well.

Reddish said she manages the school's finances well, which is reflected in the environment they have there, but getting government funding is difficult with a roll of 34.

So, she's taking a different approach, applying for funding grants, planning raffles of firewood for the Marton Harvest Festival and creating a Givealittle page.

The page is called Minivan goes boom! Reddish created it on December 19 and is aiming to raise $22,000 for a newer, larger school van.

"It's not working very well at the moment, we've got $165 which is not going to get us very far with buying a new van," Reddish said.

"The children would be so appreciative of any support and help."