Northland iwi call for two-year moratorium on school closures

A Northland iwi is calling for a two-year moratorium on closures for several schools.

The Ngati Hine hapu hosted a weekend hui at Otiria Marae, near Kaikohe, to discuss the threatened closure or merger of nine schools after an Education Ministry review.

It is understood there was support at the hui for a "special character" Maori language school to preserve and teach the iwi's dialect, history and customs. The ministry included it as an option in its review before rejecting it.

The iwi resolved to hold off the project pending the mid-month deadline for schools to make their final case.

The Government last month announced a five-year moratorium on school reviews but not Northland's, which was deemed too far advanced to stop.