Lou Klinkhamer: New school a priority for Havelock North

Former Minister of Education Hekia Parata. Photo / File

Two people in the main are responsible for the current debacle Havelock North finds itself in, in regards to overcrowded classrooms and the lack of progress for a new primary school.

The first is our previous Minister of Education Hekia Parata who became redundant on May 1 and as such still remains absolutely unaccountable for her complete lack of action and consultation.

Lou Klinkhamer

She had a golden opportunity to provide Havelock North with a new primary school. The site had been purchased back in 2010. The Ministry of Education had proven the need for a new primary school and the land was designated for education purposes only. Instead she found every excuse available not to follow their advice and even went as far as signing off on a kura for the site.

This bizarre and completely irresponsible decision put the kura back some three years on their new educational institution. They also have nothing to thank her for.

The second is the current Member of Parliament for Tukituki, Craig Foss. He did absolutely nothing to support the cause of the constituents who voted for him and decided to follow the party line.

At the end of the day he decided to pull the pin as he was in danger of losing his seat. Once again another politician leaves unaccountable for a complete lack of action.

An excellent talking point from our local councillor Malcolm Dixon pointed out where we now stand.

# The educational designation for the Arataki site has expired and is now considered beyond requirements and waiting for disposal by the Crown. Our local community now needs to insist that when the property is sold the money goes into a reserve fund for a new Havelock North Primary School. It will be needed.

# Havelock North now needs 10 new classrooms for our primary schools.

# Out of Zone pupils are no longer an issue. If they were still an issue the MOE would not be providing additional new classrooms.

# The new primary school that was promised way back before Parata became the Minister of Education is still no further advanced.

# Local schools have become completely overcrowded. Parking, transport issues and the lack of space have all become greater areas of frustration for parents. For the children full school assemblies have in some cases become of thing of the past, library time doesn't happen, and a lack of green field space turns intervals into a minefield.

# Areas that have effective Members of Parliament are having their children's educational needs addressed and new schools are slowly being built. Havelock North is now not even on the radar. We are going backwards.

I am a retired Hastings businessman and only one of a number of residents very concerned at how fickle our education system has become. We are now at the whim of politicians like Parata who have their own agendas and it is the future generations who will suffer.

I am prepared to stand up for what I believe is right now in an attempt to get the very best outcome.

Here in Havelock North it is a new primary school because that will ease the stress and the pressure that currently exists. More importantly it will drastically improve the learning conditions and the education for all of our local pupils and their teachers.

Lou Klinkhamer is a retired businessman who has been in business in Hastings for many years.
¦Views expressed here are the writer's opinion and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz