Hato Petera College opens doors to 25 students

Friday, 3 February 2017

Hato Petera College has been running since 1923.

A Maori college that has faced a several hurdles has opened its doors for the school year with about half the number of students on its roll compared to last year.

Hato Petera College on Auckland's North Shore was the only Maori boarding school north of Auckland's Harbour Bridge before its boarding facilities were shut down in November last year.

In late 2015, the wider college community renovated the hostel facilities to keep them open.

Rudy Taylor, the chairman of the Hato Petera Whanau Trust, which is responsible for the marae, former hostel and chapel, said about 25 to 30 students started at the school on January 31. He said, while that number's low, he thinks it can be built up.

Taylor said three-quarters of the students are from Auckland and he has hopes the hostel can be re-opened for the other students.

The college roll has dropped from 108 to 25 in about two and a half years.

The school is working with families to find private accommodation.

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The boarding facilities at the college are boarded up as the school opens.

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'The longer they stay empty, the worse the buildings will become,' Taylor said.

The Ministry of Education's head of sector enablement and support, Katrina Casey, said last year the Catholic Diocese of Auckland told Hato Petera College the hostel facilities would be closed. Without these facilities, the college now has to operate as a day school for the 25 year 9 to 13 students enrolled there.

Casey said the Ministry of Education understands the board is working with families to arrange private accommodation for those who need it.

She said it's also important for families to know they can transfer Te Puawaitanga scholarships - for full boarding and attendance fees - to another Maori boarding school, of which there are five others in New Zealand.

Operational funding is based on a school's roll and the school type so there is limited funding available for the college, Casey said.

As a result, the college is facing operational challenges and the Ministry of Education is working to 'determine the level of additional assistance it now needs to manage and respond to its challenges'.

Taylor said the college has a lot of support and needs to stay open.

'It's different in terms of what we get paid per child. When we were a hostel we were getting more [money] so it's very difficult. We have to rise above that,' Taylor said.

'The kura will still stay open. Our principal is still there the teachers are there and we need the hostel open. The sooner the better.'

But Taylor said, if the school, Ministry of Education and Catholic Diocese don't work together, there is a possibility the school could shut all together.

'There a risk in everything that something could happen. We can only do what's good for the people who want to keep the school open,' he said.

'We can only go forward if we stand together.'

HISTORY

1928: Hato Petera College was opened under the name St Peter's Catechist School.

2014: An Education Review Office report said 'a lack of agreement with the Catholic Diocese about property and personnel matters, are impacting negatively on the board's ability to continue improvements'. School roll at 108.

August 2015: Hostel faced cancellation due to Ministry of Education concerns around maintenance and structural soundness.

December 2015: Hostel closed due to poor living standards but reopened in time for the school year after community renovation efforts.

May 2016: Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust Board dissolved and replaced with a new incorporated society responsible for managing the hostel. School roll at 42 students.

August 2016: A series of meetings held to discuss the school's viability in the face of a dwindling roll, governance issues and hostel closures. Catholic Diocese had concerns.

November 2016: Principal John Matthews told Maori TV he had fears the school would close. Two days later, it was announced the school would remain open but lose the hostel facilities. The Bishop of Auckland said he was disappointed. Roll at 49.

January 2017: The school reopened with 25 confirmed enrolments and more to come.