Kia tau te rangimārie ki a koutou

Motueka Steiner School Opening

Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the opening of the Motueka Steiner School in a beautiful rural setting under the Tasman Ranges.  Given how few state integrated schools have opened in the last five years, I have been very privileged to have been able to attend the opening ceremony of two new state integrated schools in the last few months.  The Motueka Steiner school is a great example of the power of community and what can be achieved with a strong vision, a uniting special character and leadership that is inclusive of its community and provides so many opportunities for them to contribute.  The farm setting will provide the community with an added benefit of an education where the students will be involved in food production – from the land to the table.  The architectural elements of the school buildings identify strongly with a commitment to protect and enhance the environment and I congratulate Peter Garlick and his wonderful team for the obstacles and challenges they have overcome.  The final buildings, as presented at the opening on Saturday 1^st May, will be a wonderful asset to the Steiner community in the Tasman region.

A Mothers Fight for Justice

I was reading a lovely article in Tui Motu recently and within the article was a quote from Mahatma Ghandi which states “it’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important.  You have to do the right thing.  It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there will be any fruit.  But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing.  You may never know what results come from your action.  But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”  It struck a chord with me given I have been in contact with a Mum recently who has a child who is ADHD and autistic.  She is advocating on behalf of children in this space to be reclassified so that ADHD/autism is treated as a neurodevelopmental disorder.  This would enable students with ADHD/autism to be diagnosed by primary medical professionals such as GPs who can then authorise medications and care for their patients.  The mother is also battling to access more effective medications that currently are not funded by PHARMAC.  I admire the spirit of this Mum who is up against it given her limited ability as an individual to make a difference and bring about change that could potentially improve the social, educational and employment prospects of these students.  However, she is taking action not so much for her children but for those students and families of the future where ADHD/autism may limit their opportunities to realise their potential and lead a full life.  Her actions are also aimed at supporting schools by ensuring that students with ADHD/autism can access the medications necessary to support them within a mainstream education setting – thereby promoting the interests of the whole community.  As per Mahatma Ghandi’s quote if she does nothing there will be no positive change.  I cannot help but admire her courage and spirit.

Maintenance Funding

There will be many schools and proprietors who are wondering about the progress of the current maintenance funding claim that APIS has filed for a judicial review.  Lawyers for APIS are currently continuing to finalise the discovery process so that both parties can reach a point of full disclosure.  At the point of full disclosure, parties then have a decision to make regarding whether to continue and if so (which is most likely) a case management meeting will be scheduled and at that meeting a two day hearing will be scheduled for the court in the second half of 2021.  It is a long process but please be assured that Paul Ferris and the legal team are doing their utmost to work with the Minister and his legal team to reach a resolution that respects the partnership role that state integrated education plays in state education provision.

Conclusion

APIS wishes all of our schools a positive and enjoyable start to term two.  I hope our students, staff, principals and boards enjoyed the beautiful weather over the holidays and appreciated the safety and freedom that we currently enjoy in Aotearoa.  Our prayers go out to the citizens of India who are experiencing the full horror of COVID-19 at this time and we hope that their leaders can respond with wisdom, empathy and love in finding solutions to the current crisis.

Mā te Atua koutou katoa e tiaki, e manaaki.

Kevin Shore

Chief Executive Officer

We have developed a glossary of commonly used terms from the handbook to assist with creating a common understanding of what these terms mean. The handbook is meant primarily for Proprietors’ appointees, but it is also applicable to trustees of Catholic state-integrated schools as well as principals and senior management teams. All share responsibility for the Catholic character of their respective schools through the contractual responsibilities set out in the Integration Agreement. 

Please let us know if you come across any other terms in the handbook you would like us to include in the glossary. The full glossary can be downloaded from the preview below or found here.

Last month senior NZCEO staff visited several schools in the Auckland region where important work is being done, including the site of the future St Ignatius of Loyola College in Drury.

Below are NZCEO Chief Financial Officer Heather Richardson, Chief Executive Kevin Shore, and Special Character Manager Rosalie Connors at the Pompallier Diocesan Centre in Auckland.

This view of what is now open country shows the site of the future St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College in Drury, about 36 Kilometres south of Auckland CBD. Drury is expected to see significant population growth in the next several years, and the new school is scheduled to open in 2023.

Below are some views of St John the Evangelist Primary School, Otara, where major work is in process building new classroom and administration blocks away from power lines. Piles for the new buildings are made of compressed gravel from the school site – this provides stability, is eco-friendly, and saves on costs. The electrical and plumbing services pipes have been built into the foundations. This avoids later drilling and compromising of the reinforced concrete.

A view of a new classroom block at St Joseph’s School, Pukekohe. This is an ‘Innovative Learning Environment’ (ILE), incorporating features such as a central open space that is shared by several classes, enabling collaboration and learning between classes.