Canterbury Christian Schools Expanding
The Ministry of Education has granted permission to Rangiora New Life School and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Rangiora) to increase their maximum rolls.
Rangiora New Life School will raise its roll from 470 to 570 students, while St Joseph's School will increase its roll from 175 to 225 over the next three years.
The two schools have growing waiting lists as more families move to North Canterbury and seek a Christian education for their children.
Schools throughout North Canterbury have experienced rapid growth over the last decade, as communities struggle to keep up with growing housing developments.
St Joseph's board of trustees presiding member Emma Dangerfield said it is the first time in 25 years the school has been able to increase its roll, despite the growing population.
''The Catholic Parish of Waimakariri has also seen growth in the number of active members.
''While we are grateful to achieve the maximum roll increase, we are conscious it is unlikely to exceed the demand we have for enrolments.''
Ms Dangerfield said the school will build six new classrooms, as it takes the opportunity to replace some ageing teaching spaces.
The new classrooms will be built next to the playing field, off Percival Street, while classrooms on the George Street / Victoria Street corner will be decommissioned at a later date.
The school aims to have the work completed next year.
Rangiora New Life School principal Stephen Walters said ground works got under way during the recent school holidays for six new classrooms, a resource room and an extension to the administration block.
''I'm excited. We're not reliant on Ministry funding or oversight, so we just have to meet council regulations.
''We will have it done swiftly by the middle of next year and probably earlier.
''It is very exciting times for us. It is a real blessing to be able to add more space for Christian families in North Canterbury.''
Mr Walters said the school has been carrying waiting lists for a number of years.
''It's always lovely to make the call to those families and offer them a space.''
The bulk of the new places will be offered to primary students at the year 1 to 13 school.
But Mr Walters said there are already plans to apply for a further roll increase for the secondary end of the school in three years time.
Students come to Rangiora New Life School from anywhere between the Hurunui and Waimakariri rivers, with 40 percent travelling to school by bus.
''I encourage people, that we've got good local schools, but if you are a Christian family we are an option for you,'' Mr Walters said.
The two schools are special character schools, with elected boards of trustees and operate the same way as state schools, receiving Ministry funding for staff and resourcing.
As the Ministry does not pay for the buildings, local churches own the buildings and recover the cost through school fees.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
Canterbury Christian Schools Expanding
Building project planning has started at two North Canterbury Christian schools, following approval to grow their school rolls. The Ministry of Education has granted permission to Rangiora New Life School and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Rangiora) to increase their maximum rolls. Rangiora New Life School will raise its roll from 470 to 570 students, while St Joseph's School will increase its roll from 175 to 225 over the next three years. The two schools have growing waiting lists as more families move to North Canterbury and seek a Christian education for their children. Schools throughout North Canterbury have experienced rapid growth over the last decade, as communities struggle to keep up with growing housing developments. St Joseph's board of trustees presiding member Emma Dangerfield said it is the first time in 25 years the school has been able to increase its roll, despite the growing population. ''The Catholic Parish of Waimakariri has also seen growth in the number of active members. ''While we are grateful to achieve the maximum roll increase, we are conscious it is unlikely to exceed the demand we have for enrolments.'' Ms Dangerfield said the school will build six new classrooms, as it takes the opportunity to replace some ageing teaching spaces. The new classrooms will be built next to the playing field, off Percival Street, while classrooms on the George Street / Victoria Street corner will be decommissioned at a later date. The school aims to have the work completed next year. Rangiora New Life School principal Stephen Walters said ground works got under way during the recent school holidays for six new classrooms, a resource room and an extension to the administration block. ''I'm excited. We're not reliant on Ministry funding or oversight, so we just have to meet council regulations. ''We will have it done swiftly by the middle of next year and probably earlier. ''It is very exciting times for us. It is a real blessing to be able to add more space for Christian families in North Canterbury.'' Mr Walters said the school has been carrying waiting lists for a number of years. ''It's always lovely to make the call to those families and offer them a space.'' The bulk of the new places will be offered to primary students at the year 1 to 13 school. But Mr Walters said there are already plans to apply for a further roll increase for the secondary end of the school in three years time. Students come to Rangiora New Life School from anywhere between the Hurunui and Waimakariri rivers, with 40 percent travelling to school by bus. ''I encourage people, that we've got good local schools, but if you are a Christian family we are an option for you,'' Mr Walters said. The two schools are special character schools, with elected boards of trustees and operate the same way as state schools, receiving Ministry funding for staff and resourcing. As the Ministry does not pay for the buildings, local churches own the buildings and recover the cost through school fees.
Scoop
7 days ago
- Scoop
East Malaita Constituency Retires 2024 CDF, Submits 2025 Annual Work Plan
The East Malaita Constituency (EMC) has formally submitted its 2024 Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Expenditure Report to the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), demonstrating a commitment to transparency, accountability, and compliance with the reporting obligations outlined in Section 29 of the CDF Act 2023. The submitted report details the disbursement of about $3.88 million in CDF funds allocated to each constituency for the 2024 financial year. The presentation was made by the Member of Parliament for EMC, Honourable Manasseh Maelanga. During the submission, Hon. Maelanga also presented the constituency's 2025 Annual Work Plan (AWP), which outlines community development programs and initiatives aimed at improving livelihoods and fostering sustainable growth within the constituency. Representing the MRD, PS John Misite'e acknowledged the submission as a positive step forward. He emphasized that the Ministry remains committed to implementing the CDF legislation and providing guidance to ensure proper administration of constituency programs within this legal framework. PS Misite'e highlighted the importance of annual reports, including financial expenditure reports, as critical documents for organizational accountability and transparency, especially when public resources are involved. 'These reports reinforce transparency and demonstrate accountability in the use of public funds,' he said. He also commended Hon. Maelanga and his constituency officers for their diligent efforts in fulfilling their reporting obligations. He also thanked other constituencies that have already submitted their 2024 CDF reports. PS Misite'e called on remaining constituencies to submit their reports by July 31st, reiterating the urgency and importance of compliance. 'I urge all constituencies to come forward with their reports soon,' he emphasized. Hon. Maelanga, on behalf of the people of East Malaita and his constituency officers, expressed his happiness in submitting the report and pledged ongoing support to the MRD to ensure annual compliance with legal reporting requirements. He noted that most of the EMC 2024 budget was allocated to road infrastructure, education support, medical assistance, administration, and other sectors vital to community development. Hon. Maelanga reaffirmed EMC's commitment to its mandate and continued support and purpose to collaborate with MRD, other government agencies, and stakeholders to implement effective development initiatives that will improve the livelihoods of his constituents. He extended heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry, his constituency officers, stakeholders, communities, and all supporters of development initiatives undertaken under his leadership. The CDF Act 2023 was passed by Parliament on December 22, 2023, and came into effect on January 5, 2024. This legislation makes it clear that any offences committed by recipients of the CDF after this commencement date are subject to penalties. Penalties apply to constituents, Members of Parliament, and public officers who commit offences such as: Misappropriates any funds or assets from the fund; or Advances materials and cash from a supplier without prior approval from the responsible ministry; or Fraudulently converts project assets or materials to his own use or to the use of some other person; or Deliberately victimises non-voters by excluding them from receiving Constituency Development Funds projects and funds without justifiable grounds; or Assists or causes a person to misappropriate or apply the funds otherwise than in the manner provided in this Act and Regulations. With the new CDF legislation in place, it is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders to adhere to the law, ensuring proper use of funds and avoiding legal penalties. We should view this legislation not as a threat but as a guide to conduct and accountability in managing development funds or public resources. The primary purposes of the CDF Act 2023 are: To strengthen good governance; To ensure improved and effective delivery mechanisms of the Constituency Development Funds and To promote equal and inclusive participation of all Solomon Islanders in development. Constituents and the public are encouraged to consult their respective constituency offices should they need to get more information about how their constituency offices implement their Constituency Development Program (CDP). Constituency Development Program is a national programme of the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) administered by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD). It is implemented by the 50 constituencies in the country purposely to improve the socio-economic livelihoods of Solomon Islanders.
NZ Herald
18-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Mum calls for change to school holidays as costs burden Kiwi families
'While there are private school holiday programmes available, they are often unaffordable, costing $50 to $70 per day. We're aware of subsidy programmes, but unfortunately, we don't meet the eligibility criteria. This leaves us – and many others – in a difficult position. 'I understand that the current system may have worked better in the past when single-income households were more common. But in today's economy, dual-income families are often a necessity, and the school calendar hasn't adapted to reflect this reality.' The Ministry of Social Development's OSCAR subsidy is available for school holiday programmes up to 50 hours a week. The amount parents can get depends on the number of children they have and how much they earn. Someone with two children can get $326 per child, per week in the holidays if they earn less than $1264 a week before tax. That drops to $101.50 a week if their income is between $2485 and $2669. Above that, there is no subsidy available. Tendler said she was relatively new to the country and was surprised when she discovered the situation. Even working from home was not a good solution, she said. 'To work from home when you have a 5-year-old son with you, it's not a productive day.' She said the model was outdated. 'It's very oriented in terms of one parent working, one parent is staying at home. Maybe it was like that in the past in New Zealand, but I feel the economy now and the cost of living now is not really representing that anymore, and there are a lot of families that both of the parents are working now and you need to find a solution around it.' She said it seemed that teachers did not want to lose the days off. 'You could still have a balance and have holidays, but not two weeks. Reduce it to one week and keep summer as it – it will help some parents.' She said even with two parents splitting leave, they did not have enough days to cover the holiday. Other options could be to give parents more paid leave, or provide cheaper, government-run holiday programmes, she said. Days in school agreed in 2016 Sean Teddy, hautū (leader) of operations and integration at the Ministry of Education, said the school holidays were set – in agreement with sector groups – in 2016. Schools can choose a start date between Auckland Anniversary Day and the day after Waitangi Day, and can end no later than December 20 in any year. Secondary and composite schools need to be open for 380 half-days a year. Primary, intermediate and special schools need to open between 380 and 390 half-days, depending on the timing of Easter. 'In most years, the first school holidays for primary schools are timed to include the Easter break. To create terms of a reasonably uniform length in years when Easter falls particularly early, all or some of the Easter break will fall during the first term. In these years, fewer half-days can be completed before the latest end date.' The ministry told Tendler it was important to strike a balance between ensuring students were in school long enough to receive the education they needed, and having holidays long enough to give them a chance to rest and recuperate. Financial mentor David Verry at North Harbour Budgeting Services said Tendler was not alone in her concerns. He said it was something families struggled with every year. The summer holidays could be even tougher on family budgets. Photo / 123rf 'One of the big issues is they come up in one big lump sum that you have to pay. 'If it's $50 a day, that's $250 a week and that's after-tax dollars people have to come up with. Over a couple of weeks, if you have two children, that's $1000. That's a huge chunk of cash to have to front with.' The summer holidays could be even tougher on family budgets, he said, because people would also have to cover the cost of Christmas and back-to-school. It was even harder on single parents, he said. Verry said he would advise people to set money aside for holiday programmes through the year, if they could, so they had the funds available when they needed them. 'So you can dip into that without having to go, 'Oh gosh, we're going to have to cut our food budget because we just haven't got enough.'' While people who could work from home might have flexibility to reduce the hours their children went to holiday programmes, or not use them at all, manual workers did not have that luxury. 'It's a bit harder when you have a manual job or you're working in a supermarket because you've got to be there.'
