MPs call for clarification on zoning laws

Mr Maharey (L) said his meeting with Auckland Grammar chairman Robert Kirkpatrick (R) and John Morris was 'productive'. Picture / Mark Mitchell

Two political parties have called for the rules around school zoning to be clarified after the Ministry of Education reinstated 20 Auckland Grammar School students ejected for zone dodging.

Their enrolments had been annulled by the prestigious school, but the ministry upheld their appeals.

Headmaster John Morris accused the ministry of buckling under pressure from parents, and today met Education Minister Steve Maharey to discuss the situation.

Mr Maharey said the meeting with Mr Morris and the school board's chairman, Robert Kirkpatrick, was "productive" and may have resolved the main problem over how long a student had to live in the zone to be considered permanent.

He would not reveal what the solution was, but was to write a letter to the board chair for the full board to consider at a meeting to be called soon.

"We think we have today arrived at a way that we can move forward together but until the board has had a chance to review this, it would not be appropriate to discuss it further," he said.

About 50 pupils were told to leave Auckland Grammar after the school found parents provided false information about their living arrangements.

National's education spokesman, Bill English, said Mr Maharey should explain exactly what the law meant.

"The ministry's decision shows that its interpretation of the law is quite different to Auckland Grammar's," he said.

"They are both reading the same legislation, but they can't both be right."

Mr English said parents who were in the process of enrolling their children for next year needed to know what the rules meant.

United future's education spokesman, Judy Turner, also said more clarity was needed.

"The law must be more prescriptive to prevent schools interpreting zoning rules to suit themselves," she said.

"The policy needs to be clear and concise to ensure that all schools are playing by the same rules for the sake of the students and families, and even the schools themselves."

Mr Morris said before he met Mr Maharey that the ministry was making policy on the hoof.

"We are very disappointed that they seem to be swayed by the media publicity and by the threats of parents who are lawyers, and have decided to buckle under pressure," he said.

- NZPA