URGENT NOTIFICATION

Email: office@hi.school.nz
Website: hi.school.nz
Location: 245 South Road, Hāwera, New Zealand
Phone: 06 278 5030
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HaweraIntermediate/

Today we announce the forthcoming closure of Hāwera Intermediate.

Hāwera Intermediate will close at the end of the 2022 school year.

Staff were informed of the Minister's announcement at a staff meeting early this morning. Students will be informed of the same this afternoon at a school assembly.

Please read the following key messages forwarded to our school from the Ministry.

The Minister is expected to make his decision around the pathway forward early September.

Nga mihi nui

Neryda Sullivan

Principal

• The Minister has considered the feedback from the schools and community about the future of education in Hāwera.

• He has agreed to take the next step in the process which is to undertake consultation with the boards of schools whose rolls might be affected, about two specific proposals.

The two proposals that are being progressed to formal consultation reflect community feedback. They are:

Recapitation of 6 contributing primary schools in the area to become full primary schools (Year 1-8), and the closure of Hawera Intermediate School.

The schools that would become Year 1-8 are: Hāwera Primary School, Turuturu School, Mokoia School, Normanby School, Ramanui School and Tawhiti School.

Should this option be approved:

• the primary schools would retain Year 7 students from 2022 and Year 7 and 8 students from 2023.

• Simultaneously, Hawera Intermediate would have Year 8 students only for 2022 and close at the end of that year.

• Hawera High School would remain as is.

Primary schools remain as they are (Year 1-6).

Establish a Year 7–13 secondary school under one of the following scenarios:

Merge Hawera Intermediate School and Hawera High School to form a Year 7–13 school from the start of 2023 on the Hawera High School site.

Close Hawera Intermediate and Hawera High School and open a new Year 7-13 school on the Hawera High School site from the start of 2023.

If it wished, the board could structure this as a middle schooling (Year 7-10) and senior schooling (Year 11-13) within one school on a common site.

• We know that the Hāwera community want to implement change, so have added details of when that could happen.

• Creation of a Year 7-13 school will have significant property implications and will be subject to funding through several future budgets. We are confident that the change can be implemented within the current school provision until a longer term property solution is agreed and delivered.

• Ministry staff will support boards to develop their submissions if requested and the Ministry will be in contact with each school during the consultation period.

Affected schools will be consulting with their communities with a decision being made by the minister in early September.

In the meantime Hawera Intermediate School will continue to provide quality education for the best outcome for students in our care.