Herald finds islanders a teacher

The quest for a preschool teacher willing to move to the "ends of the earth" is complete.

Stewart Island had struggled to fill the vacancy at its Rakiura Rugrats early childhood centre, with the Ministry of Education refusing to classify the island as a "hard-to-staff" area.

However after pleas in the media, including in an article in the Herald last month, interest picked up and the centre suddenly began fielding inquiries from around the country.

The new teacher, from Christchurch, will start in three weeks.

"We're all very happy. We're all doing a wee dance," said Rakiura Rugrats secretary and parent Jo Learmonth.

Strict criteria set by the ministry meant some of the applications could not be considered, such as those from people who had almost finished training or were trained for primary school teaching. Serious consideration was given to six applicants.

The chosen applicant read about the opportunity in the Herald while on holiday at a North Island campground. She had stayed on the island for a week with her partner in the past, and had even talked to him about going back to live at some stage in the future.

"And that's the kind of person we want," Mrs Learmonth said.

While isolated and prone to freezing winters, the island was promoted to prospective teachers as a "natural paradise, a diving, hunting, tramping mecca, and growing tourism area".

If classified as a hard-to-staff area, the island would have been eligible for subsidies or grants to entice a teacher.

But the ministry said Stewart Island, as part of Southland, was not considered hard to staff and it could not repeat the exemption it had given the island in the past.