Canterbury Education: After CERA minister Brownlee's & MOE minister Parata's announcements about closing 13 schools, merging 18 schools & relocating 7 schools, the protest drew about 4 000 parents, kids, educators to the netball courts.
As merging was closure of half the proposed merged schools, that meant 20+ school properties could be NZ National govt proposed asset sales. Kendal School & Burnside Primary School near my home were valuable Burnside assets. NZ National govt could get millions of dollars from those asset sales. Never mind billions of dollars realized from other schools sales, post closures & mergers.
I often drove to South New Brighton where Luke's girlfriend lived near South New Brighton School. MoE proposed merging South New Brighton School with Central New Brighton school on valuable New Brighton commercial land. Asset sale of CNB School could realize mega-bucks for NZ National govt. Never mind CNB School parents & kids being forced to commute to SNB School, causing traffic congestion on Southshore Spit.
Merging the 2 schools, a dumb idea by MoE. SNB School was on a dead-end road on Southshore Spit, bordered by Avon-Heathcote Estuary & the Pacific. If a tsunami hit, residents & school kids would be trapped, as the only exit from Southshore Spit was South Brighton Bridge, damaged in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake.
Some protestors sat on stands, speakers occupied another stand. Most protesters stood before them. All ages at the protest, including disabled people in wheelchairs. Speakers included educators, a councillor, children. Three little, green uniformed girls from Yaldhurst School, sat atop the speakers' stand, signing for deaf people.
Cantabrians endured 11 000 quakes over the last 2 years, then endured MoE's inept announcements & dissembling about revamping Canterbury education. Why didn't MoE revamp all NZ schools simultaneously? NZ National govt's disaster capitalism again, compounding Canterbury quake strife.
As the 2011 census was postponed due to Canterbury quakes, MoE tried revamping schools with 2006 census records. Although there were population shifts between suburbs & away from Christchurch, MoE based its revamp on ideology & cost cutting, rather than demography.
Example 1: Although E suburbs beyond Ferrymead Bridge had several primary schools, like at Redcliffs & Sumner, there was no local high school. Yet MOE fiddled with revamping schools in other E suburbs like Avondale & Aranui. In 1995 what stopped us settling in Sumner was no local high school. Our sons would've had to bus long distances to a high school. 17 years later, still no local high school for Sumner.
Example 2: In our 17 years living in Christchurch no new high schools were built. Although there were housing developments, like Aidanfield, Halswell, where we lived for 8 years, no new high school was built there. Post quakes Halswell continued to grow, housing developments by Halswell Junction Rd & Wigram Rd. Not a cheep about a Halswell High School from MoE, just a rebuild of damaged Halswell Primary.
Protest placard: ONLY FOOLS CLOSE SCHOOLS! Like MoE wanted Canterbury Education "renewal" by destroying perfectly good schools & communities, CERA's CCDU Blueprint wanted a Green Frame in Christchurch's banned CBD, by destroying perfectly good business properties.
Post quake Canterbury land was zoned by colour: white, red, orange, green zones. Since the 04.09.10 Darfield Quake, more than 2 years before, bureaucrats dictated how & where Christchurch citizens should live & do business (apartheid). MoE added insult to injury with Canterbury schools "renewal".
At a meeting, MoE "renewal" minions separated & forced Canterbury school principals to wear coloured badges, red, yellow, green, based on whether their schools would be "rejuvenated, consolidated, restored."
NZ National govt / CERA was obsessed with revamping Christchurch red zone CBD, but did little about sorting out EQC / insurer hassles regarding 28 000 green-blue zone, TC3 properties. MoE's school clusters for "rejuvenation, consolidation, restoration" aggravated Christchurch quake woes.
Speeches made, protestors clapped, chanted, waving placards, banners, flags. Media sidled around making notes, videos, taking pics, interviewing. Deaf, I couldn't hear speeches, but placards, banners, pennants, flags gave the gist:
UNITE +
SAVE OUR
SCHOOLS!
DEMOCRACY
IS FALLING
THROUGH THE
CRACKS
SAVE PHILLIPSTOWN
SAVE
PHILLY
PHILLIPSTOWN!!!
KEY PARATA
BULLIES
ADAMS BROWNLEE CARTER
N I'LL STOP BUGGERIZING
ON
IF YOU STOP BUGGERIZING
SCHOOLS.
NATIONAL
DOING MORE DAMAGE
TO CHCH
SINCE FEB 2010 [sic 2011]
GOVT
PLANS
CAUSE
MORE
DAMAGE
HEKIA
FAILS
TO
ACHIEVE
SAVE
OUR
SCHOOLS
YEAH
REJUVENATE
RIGHT
SACK
NATIONAL
WHAT THE HEKIA
SAVE OURUHIA SCHOOL...
I LOVE
RICHMOND
SCHOOL... PLEASE
DON'T CLOSE MY
SCHOOL!
SAVE OUR SCHOOL
WE'RE NOT ENDING
WITHOUT A FIGHT!
I LOVE MY TEACHER
I LOVE RICHMOND SCHOOL
PLEASE DON'T CLOSE
MY SCHOOL!
WE WANT
A FAIR GO
FOR ALL
KIWIS
SAVE
OUR
SCHOOLS
I LIKE
MY
TEACH
ER!
DON'T TAKE
OUR CHOICE
AWAY [heart pic]
SAVE BURNHAM
WE [heart pic]
RICHMOND SCHOOL
DEMOCRACY NOT AUTOCRACY
STOP THE HIJACK
SAVE OUR SCHOOLS
WHY
SMALL
SCHOOLS?
STOP AND
LISTEN
LET US HAVE
A SAY
WHAT THE
HEKIA
THINKING
EDUCATION
NOT!
ERADICATION
BUILD
JAILS
CLOSE
SCHOOL
CLEVER
TANGATA AKONA KI TE KURA
(TONA KAINGA TAURUA)
TUNGA KI TE HAPORI, TAU ANA!
IF A PERSON IS EDUCATED AT HIS OWN SCHOOL
HE WILL STAND WITH CONFIDENCE
IN HIS OWN COMMUNITY
HANDS
OFF
HEKIA!
WE DREAM IT,
BELIEVE IT,
AND ACHIEVE IT...
THEN HEKIA TAKES
IT ALL AWAY
WE SAY NO!
LEAVE OUR
SCHOOLS
ALONE!
OUR SCHOOLS,
OUR CHILDREN
OUR FUTURE
LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY
GREEN PARTY PRINCIPLES...
DEMOCRACY
HARD WON
DEFEND IT
HOME RULE FOR
CANTERBURY
BRING BACK
DEMOCRACY
GREEN...
PPTA
POST PRIMARY TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
WOT THE
HEKIA
BEWARE
[piranha pic]
PARANA
STOP THINK
LOCAL SCHOOLS ARE VITAL
DON'T FRACTURE
CHRISTCHURCH
COMMUNITIES
SAVE
DEMOCRACY
AND OUR SCHOOLS
BURNSIDE
PRIMARY
SCHOOL
KEEP OUR
SCHOOL OPEN
PLAYCENTRE
VALUES
WHANAU
PLAYCENTRE
SUPPORTS
CHCH
FAMILIES
LISTEN
TO OUR
CHILDREN
HURT MANNING, HURT OUR
MIND
SOS
SAVE OUR SCHOOL
CONSULTATION
YEAH
RIGHT!
KEEP OUR
SCHOOL
SAVE
YALDHURST
SCHOOL
NATIONAL
SUCKS
CHRISTCHURCH
DON'T GIVE UP
THE FIGHT!!
HEARTBREAK
FOR
SCHOOLS
EDUCATION
IS
IMPORTANT
WHAT DO WE DO NOW MISS?
HOP ON A BUS AND GO TO A
SCHOOL. I DON'T KNOW
WHERE!!
NO CHOICE FOR
INTERMEDIATE
SCHOOLS
WHAT ARE YOU GOING
TO DO WITH THE MONEY
YOU SAVE FROM SCHOOL
CLOSURES MINISTER?
SAVE
YALDHURST
MODEL SCHOOL
SAVE GOOD
SCHOOLS
FROM BAD
POLITICS!
KEY
KILLS
BIGGER
IS NOT
BETTER
SAVE OUR SCHOOLS
TEACHERS
GOVT
SAVE OUR SCHOOLS
LYTTELTON
WEST
IS NOT
IMPRESSED
IF YOU'RE
WAITING
FOR A SIGN
THIS
IS IT.
WE NEED
[Pics of 3 N robots]
THE DOCTOR
SAVE OUR SCHOOLS
AVONDALE
STAND UP
FIGHT BACK
KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF
IT'S MY SCHOOL!!
IT'S MY COMMUNITY!!
GROWING POPULATION
GROWING ROLL
NO EQ DAMAGE
WHY YALDHURST?
SAVE
OUR
SCHOOLS
PEOPLE
NOT!
PROFIT
SAVE OUR
COMMUNITY
THE
[heart pic]
OF HORNBY
SAVE OUR
KENDAL SCH
PARATA, LISTEN
TO THE PEOPLE
SAVE KENDAL
SCHOOL!!!!
THIS SOCIAL
EXPERIMENT
WON'T WORK
SAVE OUR
COMMUNITY
SAVE PHILLIPSTOWN
SCHOOL!
UNITE+
SAVE OUR
SCHOOLS!
STOP
EDUQUAKES
ON
ELECTION DAY
PROCESS?
CONSULTATION?
YEAH RIGHT!!
THE FREEVILLE
SCHOOL COMMUNITY
DESERVES BETTER
KEY
SUPPORTS
CHRISTCHURCH
YEAH RIGHT
TUI [mock ad]
SURVIVING
11,000
QUAKES
EASY
PEASEY
RECOVERY
PEOPLE
PEOPLE
PEOPLE
KEEP
CALM
AND
SAY
NO
ENOUGH
ALREADY!
STAND
UP
FIGHT
BACK
NATS
HATE
CHILDREN
STOP THE
CREEPING
TAKEOVER
FREEVILLE ROCKS
BRANSTON INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
CHOICE
HERE'S
GLENMOOR
OPINION
GET YOUR
HANDS OFF
FREEVILLE
SCHOOL
NO VOTE
NO
DEMOCRACY
CHRISTCHURCH KIDS
GLENMOOR
SCHOOL!...
Placard: PM John Key, 2 devil horns pics.
UNITE
LISTEN
TO CANTERBURY.
DON'T DO THIS
HEKIA!
NATIONAL
F*CKING
WITH
CANTABRIANS
SINCE
22 FEB 2011
NATIONAL
DOING MORE DAMAGE
TO CHCH
SINCE FEBRUARY 2011
GOVT
PLANS
CAUSE
MORE
DAMAGE
NEW ZEALAND
NURSES
ORGANIZATION [flag]
...BULLIES...
SAVE
DEMOCRACY
AND OUR SCHOOLS
WE
WILL
FIGHT!!
WE HAD DEMOCRACY ONCE
PROTECT IT
FROM THE
HIJACKERS
UNITE +
SAVE OUR
SCHOOLS
KIA KAHA
CHCH
SHAME
ROCKED 7.1
RATTLED 6.3
ROLLED 6.3
LIQUEFACTION
EASTSIDE
4 LIFE [T shirt]
EDUCATION... IT'S ALL
ABOUT THE KIDS..YEAH RIGHT
LEAVE OUR KIDS
ALONE!!
SAVE OUR
SCHOOLS!
SOS
SAVE OUR SCHOOL [dog coat]
FIGHT FOR EVERY
CHILD'S
RIGHT TO WALK
TO SCHOOL
NATIONAL
SUCKS
HELL NO HEKIA!!
LEAVE OUR SCHOOLS
ALONE!
STOP CLOSING
OUR
SCHOOLS!
SAVE MY
FUTURE...
SOS
SAVE MY
SCHOOL
LINWOOD AVE
YOU ARE NOT
THE KEY TO
THE SOLUTION
SAVE
BURNHAM
SCHOOL
WE WILL SOLDIER ON!
WANT NEVER GIVE UP!
TO [Cartoon of strangled bird] WHAT
EAT THE
OUR HEK
CANTERBURY YEAH!!
KIDS??
PEOPLE
BEFORE
FASCISM
RICHMOND
SCHOOL
WORTH
SAVING!
SAVE
OUR
SCHOOL
SAVE OUR
SCHOOL
MANNING INT
MORE HEART [heart pic]
BREAK FOR
OUR CHCH
SAVE
MANNING
CHCH
CHILDREN
DESERVE
THE VERY
BEST
SAVE
MANNING
LOVE MANNING
NO CHOICE FOR
INTERMEDIATE
SCHOOLS - EASTSIDE
PLEASE DON'T
CLOSE
RICHMOND
SCHOOL
P-S- OFF PARATA
GO AWAY.
IN THEIR SCHOOLS
OUR STUDENTS
NEED TO STAY /
GET YOURSELF SOME
COMPASSION & COURTESY...
A LIFE JACKET SHOULD
NOT
BE PART OF ANY
SCHOOL'S UNIFORM
SOS...
NOT AUTOCRACY
NOT OLIGOPOLY
SAVE
OUR
SCHOOLS
ONLY FOOLS
CLOSE SCHOOLS
SOS
SAVE
MANNING
IT'S NOT ABOUT
THE MONEY
NEK MINUT
EDUCATE NOT
EDUCUT
SAVE OUR
FUTURE
SHIRLEY
INTERMEDIATE
NOTHING
ABOUT
US
WITHOUT
US
STOP THINK
LOCAL SCHOOLS ARE VITAL
DON'T FRACTURE
CHRISTCHURCH
COMMUNITIES
MANNING
INTERMEDIATE [3 pennants]
SAVE
SOS
OURUHIA
SCHOOL
JUSTICE
AND JOY
OUR COMMUNITY
OUR SCHOOLS -
DON'T HIJACK FACILITIES. WE NEED
CONSULTATION AND COLLABORATION,
NOT DICTATORIAL DECISIONS
HIDDEN AGENDA
FOR
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
PLAYCENTRE BUILDS
STRONG
COMMUNITIES
LET
US
VOTE
MAORI
EDUCATION YEAH RIGHT
VALUED MOE [Mock Tui advert]
DON'T BE
MEAN AND
MOVE OUR
FREEVILLE
DEMOCRACY
SAM
AGE 5 [person pic]
TOM
AGE 9 [heart pic]
TOGETHER WE
PLEDGE TO
PROTECT
DEMOCRACY [15 m banner for signing / commenting, also signed at recent Democracy Protest]
Apropos MoE's proposed closure of Kendal School & Burnside Primary, if Brownlee & Parata perused EQC's land report by "Tonkin & Taylor, Canterbury Earthquakes 2010 and 2011, as at 29 February 2012," they'd see T & T didn't look at individual Burnside properties, as there was so little land damage there. MoE's generalization that school closures in Burnside & elsewhere were due to quakes was dumb.
Tonkin & Taylor's report website gave introductory discourse, but the full paper report, found in public libraries, had many aerial photographs, with detailed coloured legends covering lateral spreading, cracks, liquefaction, ponding, new springs, rockfall, etc, in Christchurch & outlying damaged districts.
Thurs 27.09.12. One News, PM Key, who grew up in Ilam, moved the gull posts, saying Burnside Primary had borer, therefore could be rebuilt ($9 million) or merged with Cobham Intermediate next door. Risible, as borer was cheaply killed by gassing.
Burnside Primary would be rebuilt. Nearby Kendal School would be closed.
*Trekked Hagley Park, netball courts. 216 images
Sat 29.09.12. 3.44am, M3.8 quake, 9km depth, 10km E of Christchurch (GeoNet). Didn't feel it, asleep in bed.
As for Aranui schools merger proposed by MoE, a drive along Breezes Rd would show Aranui Primary (centenary 2012) Aranui HS, Chisnallwood Intermediate, Avondale Primary all close together. Merging the lot on Aranui HS campus was destruction rather than creation. Timing of the schools merger announcement was expedient, as the area was recovering from quakes, roads & housing in disarray. SCIRT hadn't even fixed Breezes Rd yet.
Granted Avonside / Avondale residential red zone was close by, but not even NZ National govt could say how those red zone suburbs would develop post quakes, as their figures about school rolls, bldgs, facilities were inaccurate & MoE hadn't consulted schools before its school closures / mergers announcement.
Two years post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake, 19 months post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, little recovery / rebuild was happening in Christchurch CBD & suburbs. Scattered rebuild I saw was done by private sector, not big talk, NZ National govt / CERA / CCDU.
Post quakes, NZ National govt was a destroyer, disguised as public safety: demolitions; red zoning of perfectly good commercial & residential properties; 28 000 blue green TC3, uninsurable residential properties; CCDU buyouts of CBD properties for its Blueprint CBD Frame, Blueprint Convention Centre / Te Pae, Blueprint stadium; school mergers & closures, in Canterbury.
Mon 08.10.12. Cranmer Court demolition saga, Kilmore St / Montreal St, opp Cranmer Sq: Heritage hailers tried stopping Cranmer Court demolition, which had started in June, but stopped when an Aussie buyer was interested. The deal fell through, so Heritage hailers, including Lorraine North & the Wizard, protested again.
Protest continued till Thurs 11.10.12, when councillors, including Broughton, voted 5-4, a stay of demolition for 30 days, to look for another buyer, for part demolished Cranmer Court. CERA's CCDU boss Isaacs rejected that farcical delay by Councillors.
Problem Heritage hailers: They never offered to pay for bldgs they wanted to save, expecting others to pay for their follies, neither did they have any reasonable plan for saving bldgs, just hysterical ranting whenever bldgs were demolished. Never mind Cranmer Court apartment owners wanting to demolish & rebuild.
Contrary to Heritage hailers' whining, Cranmer Court was unsafe: In the 04.09.10 Darfield Quake, stone turrets loosened, stone chimneys fell, stone, triangular gables snapped off. Thereafter the bldg was evacuated, steel mesh fence cordoned, octagon windows nylon-strapped stopping collapse by aftershocks. Pigeons roosted in the ruins, flying in & out of gaping wall holes.
In the 22.02.11 Killer Quake, Cranmer Court octagon turrets collapsed, windows smashed, roofs & walls collapsed. Thereafter damaged walls & windows were boarded & used as giant photo art boards. Cranmer Court was steel mesh fence cordoned for months. Yet Heritage hailers thought Cranmer Court was safe. They didn't explain why no one had lived there since the quakes?
Cranmer Court had begun as a Normal School, then a teachers training college, then stood vacant for a decade, unused by the MoE, unsafe, then revamped as apartments. Cranmer Court ruin would be demolished. 2023. New Cranmer Terraces would be on site.
Heritage hailers tried saving damaged bldgs designated "Heritage," while 1 000s of Christchurch citizens endured damaged, unrepaired houses; endured TC3 houses awaiting geotech drilling reports; battling EQC & insurers for payouts or repairs. Pity Heritage hailers showed no compassion nor anger about post quake housing, compounded by NZ National govt's & CERA's inaction over slow EQC & insurers.
A drive beyond Christchurch on Canterbury Plains showed degraded natural Heritage (polluted by cattle effluent allowed by ECAN) not an unseen city, not ruined cathedrals, not damaged Cranmer Court, not damaged bldgs, but lethal Port Hills during the 22.02.11 Killer Quake. Why didn't Heritage hailers eradicate Port Hills gorse pollution?
Wed 10.10.12. 11.51am, M4.2 quake, 11km depth, 15km E of Christchurch. (GeoNet). Rumbled by, shook our Burnside house. Felt like furniture moving / thumping below. E, CBD, closer to the epicentre, Leah said shaking of her London St school was yuk. W, Hornby, Halswell Junction Rd, about 30km from the epicentre, Luke said he didn't feel the quake.
Coda:
Wed 22.05.13. MoE would announce an interim decision about 5 Aranui schools: Chisnallwood Intermediate would stay as is until a 2020 review. Aranui, Avondale, Wainoni primary schools & Aranui HS would all close & would merge into a super school Y1-13, to be built on the Aranui HS site, opened Jan 2017. The new super school would be named Haeata Community Campus.
MoE gobbledegook published in Christchurch Mail, 23.05.13:
"We have looked at earthquake damage, population movement and future population growth, building issues, school locations and what opportunities exist to create more 21st century schools, with great new facilities...
We have a chance to build brighter, more modern schools in better locations, which will ensure all children have access to good, quality education within a close distance of where they live [An insult to current teachers. Kids who formerly walked to schools would need to catch buses]...
The creation of a single-site campus with provision for all ages will assist better transitions between schooling stages and share valuable resources and facilities for the surrounding communities..."
Why didn't CERA minister Brownlee & Ilam citizens want a bright, super school to be built in Brownlee's Ilam constituency? Brownlee & Parata could combine Burnside HS, Burnside Primary, Kendal School, Cobham Intermediate into a super school Y1-13, to share valuable resources & facilities too!
Meanwhile, Fri 24.05.13, Phillipstown School protested that if their merger with Woolston School went ahead Phillipstown low socio-economic children would have to walk a long distance to Woolston School across dangerous intersections like Aldwins Rd / Ferry Rd crossing. Leah observed that Phillipstown principal aged visibly since school mergers were announced in 2012. MoE would have no mercy on Phillipstown School & despite protests, Phillipstown School would close & Phillipstown principal would become a Lyttelton log trucker, 2015.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See NZ Ministry of Education, Canterbury Schools, Restore, Consolidate, Rejuvenate Proposals (Stuff Co).
See Razing of Cranmer Courts barbaric (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Police called to Cranmer Courts protest (The Press / Stuff Co).
See From classroom to lorry, principal reinvents himself (The Press /Stuff Co).
See Ministry of Education sorry for schools bungling (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Rev Coleman: Munted. There was no dialogue no transparency (Stuff Co).stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/122558553/munted-there-was-no-dialogue-no-transparency
