Pip Cook and Jane Carrigan had proposed using Papatawa School for Planet Ryan, a centre to help young people with disabilities, but have not had a response from the Ministry of Education. Photo / Leanne Warr
Pip Cook and Jane Carrigan had proposed using Papatawa School for Planet Ryan, a centre to help young people with disabilities, but have not had a response from the Ministry of Education. Photo / Leanne Warr
While a potential centre for intellectually challenged youth is still awaiting the cutting of red tape, just 1km away a school lies empty and unkempt.
When Pip and Jules Cook came up with the idea of Planet Ryan, they had planned to use a corner of their farm.
Planet Ryan, a centre for intellectually disabled rangatahi and adults in the local community, would include a day programme.
The idea came about through Pip and Jules’ son Ryan, who has a rare genetic disorder and will no longer be allowed to attend school once he turns 21.
It has since evolved to include students who, for one reason or another, are falling through the cracks of the education system.
Disability advocate Jane Carrigan says they wanted to create a programme where children would learn by working.
She says the programme would include at-risk children as well as high-needs intellectually disabled young people who would be buddied up.
“We would create a programme that not only worked with them but also allowed them to go out into the community, even coming down to the nursery that Pip is developing for Planet Ryan.
The Cook family farm is only a few kilometres from Woodville and less than a kilometre from the site of the now-closed Papatawa School.
However, the plans for the farm have been stonewalled by planners at Tararua District Council, citing issues with subdividing and highly productive land.
So when news of Papatawa School’s impending closure reached Pip, she thought the facilities would be perfect for Planet Ryan, or at least one part of the project.
Almost a year ago she submitted an expression of interest in the site to the Ministry of Education, proposing to use the facilities to run school holiday programmes and set up an integrated therapy programme.
For a peppercorn lease, ie small payment, they would also keep up the maintenance of the grounds and buildings, Pip offered in her proposal.
Jane says they got a response almost immediately from two senior officials in the ministry.
“We invited them up here and we had a meeting at Pip and Jules’ house.”
She says it seemed the officials liked what they were proposing and everything appeared to be going well.
A further meeting was held with the Planet Ryan supporters going down to Wellington to meet with the same staff and Pip says there was no cause to think they were anything other than committed to the idea.
In November last year, the Ministry of Education and Planet Ryan all met on the site of the school. Jane says the dynamic had completely changed to a more negative view of the project.
Neglected: Pip Cook and Jane Carrigan look over the grounds of Papatawa School, which closed in August last year.
Since then, they have asked for updates, but no contact has been initiated by the ministry and now the school “is just going to rack and ruin”, Jane says.
“They haven’t mowed the lawns since the school closed over seven months ago. The whole place is starting to look completely run down.”
“It’s infuriating,” Pip says. “It’s just sitting here.”
Jane feels the education system abdicates responsibility for young adults with high needs, and Planet Ryan could have been a prototype for other areas.
“What could have been a great experiment has been left high and dry.”
The grass at Papatawa School is now long and with the summer heat, very dry and Pip and Jane are concerned about possible hazards, especially with the Tararua District now in a restricted fire season.
Nancy Bell, hautū (leader) Te Tai Runga (South) for the Ministry of Education, says “Before a vacant school site can be deemed surplus to requirements, the ministry must first consider if the site can be used for education purposes.
“There has been some interest in the Papatawa site within the sector and we are engaged in discussions about its use.”
She says they have followed up with the contractor responsible for maintaining the site to ensure the grass is maintained.
Jane and Pip don’t have much time for those excuses with Jane stating “other than now putting a huge lock on the gate nothing has happened at school, certainly no lawns mowed”.
“We were interested in the Papatawa site, in circumstances where no one else was showing any. We are hugely disappointed that we trusted the claimed goodwill of the ministry’s senior personnel. It was all just time wasted and once more the Crown fails those most in need.”
