School enrolment zones are set for a shuffle-up along the Pāpāmoa and Mount Maunganui. Photo / George Novak
School enrolment zones are set for a shuffle-up along the Pāpāmoa and Mount Maunganui strip due to population growth in the area.
The Ministry of Education will engage with the community to determine how school enrolment zones will look in the near future.
An enrolment zone will be implemented for Mount Maunganui College from next year, a document sent to the Bay of Plenty Times by the ministry said.
The zone will affect the enrolment scheme boundaries of surrounding schools.
Mount Maunganui College principal Alastair Sinton said the school has no fixed view on where possible boundaries might be.
However, he said it did feel an enrolment scheme will help it plan more effectively for future students.
"As far as enrolment boundaries are concerned these will be part of public consultation," Sinton said.
"For us, it is an important opportunity for local school communities to provide feedback on what the future of schooling will look like in our area. We are looking forward to hearing what people have to say."
Pāpāmoa Primary School principal Lisa Morresey said consultations will be held with schools, boards, community members, and the public.
"Many of our schools are overcrowded," she said. "It's about adjusting the network so that the schools reduce overcrowding in a better way.
"With a consultation there is always a long timeline. Any changes to zones will come in effect probably February or March 2022."
First National Real Estate general manager Cameron Hooper said hopeful homeowners have been taking location into more consideration these past few years.
He said people are looking for nearby schools, and ease of life with the family unit.
"They would rather live a little closer, ditch the second car, and have a parent walk the kids to school in the morning and have the kids walk home," Hooper said.
"Everyone is busy right, life is busy now. Life in 2021 is far different from what we thought 2010 was. It's a busy format now with family, sports, and schools.
"If you can have the family unit settled and coming home from school and maybe mum and dad can stay at work, we are noticing that a little bit."
OneRoof editor Owen Vaughan said school zoning can have a huge influence on house prices, with many Kiwis prepared to pay a premium for homes next to well-regarded schools.
In Auckland, a property located in the double Grammar-school zone can lift its price by as much as $1 million, Vaughan said.
The opening of primary school Te Manawa o Pāpāmoa next year will also require amendments to enrolment zones of other primary schools in the area.
The ministry said Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty region are the fastest-growing areas in all of New Zealand and student numbers will skyrocket.
They said growth will impact Mount Maunganui Intermediate, Mount Maunganui College, Pāpāmoa College, and primary schools directly.
The ministry is gathering feedback on two things in the process:
• The proposed enrolment zones for Te Manawa o Pāpāmoa School and Mount Maunganui College, as well as amendments to other zones in the area;
• Potential future options for Mount Maunganui Intermediate, Mount Maunganui College and Pāpāmoa College to accommodate the projected increase in intermediate and secondary-aged students.
The ministry will also host public meetings to gather feedback from the community.
The first of three public meetings will be held on Monday, March 15, between 7pm and 8pm at Mount Maunganui College.
Pāpāmoa College will host the second meeting on March 16, and Trustpower Baypark Stadium the third on March 17. Both will take place between 7pm and 8pm.
The document will be distributed this afternoon, a spokeswoman for the ministry said.
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