Hon Hekia Parata
Minister of Education

28 February 2014

Minister announces establishment of new school for the Aranui Community Campus

Education Minister Hekia Parata today announced the establishment of a Year 1-13 school to provide education to children and young people in east Christchurch as part of the new Aranui Community Campus. The school will be built on the current Aranui High School site and will open for term 1, 2017.

“The Aranui Community Campus will be the first of its kind in greater Christchurch, with successful examples operating in other parts of New Zealand. The campus will provide high quality education in modern learning environments, and will offer a range of services that benefit the wider community,” says Ms Parata.

“I want to thank the wider Aranui community for its involvement in this process. I established the Aranui Community Leadership Group to lead the first phase of consultation with the community, and the group has provided me with extensive feedback about the community’s ideas and aspirations for the schooling organisation and the facilities and services that the campus will provide. A further announcement of these services will be made in the near future.”

The Ministry of Education will now seek nominations from members of the community to be appointed to the Establishment Board of Trustees for the new school. The Board will be comprised of five appointed members with a range of skills and background knowledge in order to effectively provide input into establishing the school.

The Board will develop the new school’s charter and work with those designing and building the school. It will also appoint the principal and staff, and work with the Aranui Community Leadership Group and the school community to further develop the community’s vision for the school and the campus.

“This is a great opportunity for this community to work together to build a brighter future for their children and their families. The way the community has been involved with consultation and making this school their own is a great model for all. I look forward to seeing the development of Aranui Community School and its campus.”

ENDS

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