Fitzgerald was speaking at the formal opening of De Paul House's new 10-unit transitional housing complex in Northcote, Auckland.

Opened only in December 2021, the transitional housing complex has already housed 13 families with 18 adults and 13 children says Fitzgerald.

Built on the site formerly occupied by Hato Petera College, Northcote and owned by the Auckland Catholic diocese, the transitional housing units are the latest addition to the charity's increasing number of properties that provide safe, warm and healthy places for families facing homelessness.

De Paul House currently runs a total of 44 transitional housing facilities accommodating 60 families - 89 adults and 170 children. It is a non-denominational service.

"The thing that is different about these (new) units is they are bigger," says De Paul House general manager Jan Rutledge, QSM.

Bigger families "are hardest to house, both to secure permanent housing, but also transitional housing," she says.

Rutledge says that apart from the transitional and social housing, they have one property they are renting out.

"It's a new model. We've been offered it rent-free by a very philanthropic Catholic landlord," she said.

"We have moved one family through after three years into home ownership," she said.

Auckland diocese general manager James van Schie called the opening of the new transitional units a "proud day for the Hato Petera legacy.

"We've been working to repurpose the wider site.

"It is a great opportunity to address the critical housing shortage in our city and diocese," he said.

van Schie says there is a lot of opportunity at the four-hectare-plus site and the diocese wants to see the site really shine again to meet a contemporary need.

He said the diocese is actively involved and supporting the charitable outreach of De Paul House at the former school.

The diocese is doing its part to hold the site together he said.

"Bishop Patrick Dunn made that commitment, that we weren't looking to sell or alienate this land. I think this place will be a real beacon of hope for the future."

View inside one of the De Paul House transitional housing units

Current Auckland bishop Stephen Lowe blessed framed inspirational images that will adorn each of the ten units.

"This land teems with life, but unfortunately not everybody in our society gets that same access to the basics of life," Lowe said.

Calling the housing crisis something the nation should be ashamed of, Lowe told the De Paul House team that they flavour the lives of the people they serve with hope.

"You give them care that they need and link them with the people who can help them and journey with them," he said.

Talking at the opening, Associate Housing minister Poto Williams says the Government remains committed to "ending homelessness."

Source

• NZ Catholic

Late on Tuesday Judge Pheroze Jagose granted the bishop an order to the protesters to leave the land and remove their property within 48 hours.

However, he declined a request by the church's lawyer for a further order authorising police to use force if necessary to evict the protest group.

But when RNZ visited the site on Thursday afternoon around 10 people were gathered beside their cars.

While they declined to comment they said staff from the Diocese had been to visit and they had packed up their things.

As the deadline came around a small procession of cars left the site, leaving the site empty except for their painted signs and flags.

The protest group, which said it represents the two Ngati Paoa families that occupied the land before it was acquired by the Crown in the 1840s, has been living at the college marae since mid-August, before the college closed officially on August 31.

The two families said they were "repossessing" the land because the church is no longer using it for the purposes for which Governor George Grey granted it in 1850.

Grey granted the land to the Catholic Church in 1850 "for the education of children of our subjects of both races and of children of other poor and destitute persons being the inhabitants of the islands in the Pacific Ocean."

A spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese said it was a good outcome and they hoped they could now get on with looking at other opportunities for the site with a number of educational offers already put forward.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• Image: nzherald.co.nz

The college, Auckland's last Maori Catholic boarding school, closed in August after its roll dwindled to just one student. Continue reading

He has also proposed that the Hato Petera site should be used for a hostel for Maori students attending other schools in the area, on the model of Auckland Grammar School's InZone hostel in Epsom.

He said he told the minister of education Chris Hipkins about his proposal to transfer Vanguard just before Hipkins announced the closure of Hato Petera on August 31.

A spokesman for Hipkins confirmed that O'Sullivan outlined the proposal at a principals' conference at Wairakei on August 30, but said the minister was "non-committal" about it.

O'Sullivan, a former Hato Petera student, has produced videos telling the stories of four Vanguard students in an effort to stop parliament passing a bill to abolish charter schools such as the military academy.

He says after five years Vanguard has demonstrated by its academic results that it genuinely transforms lives and has provided a positive and aspirational pathway for rangatahi who were failed by the mainstream education system.

Vanguard Military School is a co-educational charter school located in Albany.

It opened in 2014 and was the first of 11 charter schools to apply to become part of the state education system under the changes Labour made to the charter school system.

In May Hipkins gave approval for Vanguard to become a designated character state school.

In 2019 it will become a full secondary school with up to 312 students from Years 9 to 13.

At present, it teaches the New Zealand Curriculum to Year 11, 12 and 13 students with the specific aim of gaining the NCEA and UE qualifications.

The school uses the ethos and training methodology of the military which it says helps students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to achieve attitudinal and academic excellence.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• vanguard.school
• voxy.co.nz
• maoritelevision.com
• Image: thespinoff.co.nz

The Minister of Education Chris Hipkins and the Bishop have agreed that the College will close on 31 August 2018.

In making the announcement last Friday Hipkins said the school was no longer capable of providing a quality education.

"The sad reality is that there aren't any students left at Hato Petera," he said.

"The advice I received from the ministry made it very clear that any students who did enrol at Hato Petera weren't going to be receiving the standard of education they should be."

Deed of Grant will be honoured

In a press release, the Diocese said it is committed to ensuring that the intent of the Deed of Grant made in 1850 in relation to the land, is honoured.

The land or income from the land will be used to support "…. the education of children of our subjects of both races and of children of other poor and destitute persons being inhabitants of the islands of the Pacific…"(Deed of Grant, 19 August 1850).

Needs have changed

The diocese said Hato Petera College has a proud history but it has not been the secondary school of choice for Catholic Maori, within the Catholic Diocese of Auckland.

As at 1 July 2018 there were 1,065 Maori students attending 15 Catholic Secondary schools in the Diocese.

This year the roll at Hato Petera has fluctuated between one and five students.

There have been no students at the College in Term 3.

Past students have chosen not to send their children and grandchildren to Hato Petera College.

The Church's concern over the past few years has been that students at Hato Petera College have not been receiving the education they need or deserve.

The need for Maori boarding schools has changed.

Significantly fewer Maori are choosing to send their rangatahi to Maori boarding schools for their secondary education.

Hato Petera was the only co-educational Maori boarding school in Aotearoa.

There are four remaining single-sex schools Maori boarding schools; two of them are Catholic schools.

There are three in Hawkes Bay: Hukarere Girls' College St Joseph's Maori Girls' College, Te Aute College.

Hato Paora College at Cheltenham in Manawatu.

All have very small school rolls and the total roll across all 4 schools is 531, the size of a small secondary school.

Looking at possibilities

The Auckland Diocese is exploring and considering all education options for the use of the site.

Some possibilities include discussions with the Ministry of Education regarding the use of the College facilities by another school.

It is also in discussion with Hato Petera old boy Dr Lance O'Sullivan, Chair of the Moko Foundation, about the possibility of establishing a "Hato Petera hostel/academy" that could support a new model of education at the current site.

Source

• Supplied: Lyndsay Freer
  Media & Communications, Catholic Diocese of Auckland
• radionz.co.nz
• Image: Newsroom /Alexia Russell

Tauira Tawhito Steering Komiti, a group of former students, parents and a kaumatua, have been able to increase the roll from one to five.

They say they have received nearly 500 expressions of interest.

The commissioner, Lex Hammil, confirmed that the roll had increased to 5.

He said, however, "enrolment did not match attendance on the ground.

"We've had sporadic attendance by all students."

With Hato Petera in a state of flux, Hamill said the Tauira Tawhito Steering Komiti's "personal crusade" was harmful.

"I have faith in the process that is being initiated by the Minister of Education" he said.

The Tauira Tawhito Steering Komiti, however, feels it had been left out the decision-making process.

Former student and spokesperson for the group, Ratahi Tomuri said "We want to drive this.

"We've put together a marketing strategy and a plan to get the school out of debt, but we have no transparency about what's happening.

"We want to help, we're here to do the hard work. The school was once a thriving kura, and it still can be, but it needs the right people behind it."

Tomuri told Stuff in April that allowing only baptised Catholics to attend the school, and closing the school's boarding facilities, harmed the enrolment process.

But Hamill has pointed out that, because Hato Petera is a state integrated Catholic school, "We've got to get to a roll of 20 before we can take one non-Catholic."

A spokesperson from the Catholic Diocese of Auckland said the results of the consultation process, the submissions of which closed on May 14, were being considered by the Ministry of Education and Minister Chris Hipkins.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: propertynoise.co.nz

The roll has declined from 210 in 1995 and the Education Review Office had expressed concerns about the school's performance.

Earlier this year, Lex Hamill was appointed as a commissioner to take over the governance of the college.

Hamill said there is an issue about how four teachers and a limited number of students can offer a balanced programme.

This year the school was set to receive $330,000 from the Ministry of Education's operational grant fund for a projected roll of 15 students.

However, Hamill said those funds would drop to around $200,000 with only one student currently at the school - although the salary of teachers did not come out of those funds.

Last Friday, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced the government and Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland had agreed to begin consultations about whether to cancel the school's integration agreement.

"With only one student currently in attendance, the Commissioner has raised concerns about the sustainability of the school.

He is supportive of the decision that the proprietor of Hato Petera College, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, and I have now taken to initiate the consultation process.

I acknowledge that this is an uncertain time for the student currently attending Hato Petera, her whanau and the community.

But the role of Maori boarding schools has changed over the years," Hipkins said.

"Despite the extensive work of the commissioner, previous boards of trustees, teaching staff and the community, concerns about the college's finances, human resourcing, curriculum and its low student numbers remain."

If the agreement is cancelled, the Diocese would be left to decide whether to close it or begin running it as a private school.

Source

• tvnz.co.nz
• scoop.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• Image: facebook.com

Hato Petera College's roll is down to four pupils.

It's a co-educational school for Maori students from Years 9 to 13.

The school provides students with a Catholic Maori environment.

It's the subject of a critical ERO report.

Lex Hamill, the recently appointed commissioner of Hato Petera and old boy, Dr Lance O'Sullivan, want to improve the school's viability.

O'Sullivan, a Northland doctor, no longer has an active role in the school, since Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust dissolved

But he says he wants to involvement in the school's future.

"I am committed to ensuring Hato Petera will not go off into the night, " he says.

O'Sullivan says it's time to talk about solutions to Hato Petera's problems, not its struggle.

Education Review Office

In a 2014 report, the Education Review Office (ERO) raised health and safety concerns about the school's hostel facilities.

In 2017 the Ministry of Education changed Hato Petera's classification from boarding to day school over those earlier concerns.

Commissioner Hamill says he thinks it's unhelpful to talk about closure every time Hato Petera makes the news."

He said his job was to make sure the school remained operational.

Despite a roll of four pupils, Hamill says Hato Petera is not the only "iconic Maori school" struggling.

Hamill says removal of boarding pupils had affected the roll and special character of Hato Petera.

He says it's difficult to increase the school because now it's a day school.

"…it has to operate in the Northcote area as an integrated, unzoned school, he says."

"At the end of the day it's the parents who opt to send their children to our school."

Sources:

• NZ Herald
• Education Review Office
• Image credit:

The boarding facilities are to be vacated and possession of the property delivered to the Catholic Diocese of Auckland.

In July Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported that 30 tertiary students from the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) were using the hostel.

Counsel for the Diocese, Michael Robinson, said the occupants of the boarding facilities were there in an agreement with Hato Petera Limited, but will now have seven days to vacate the hostel.

Last year the hostel was closed; boarding is no longer offered at Hato Petera.

This year it has been operating as a day-school, with a small staff. Just 25 students enrolled to start 2017.

The Diocese gave the housing and family support provider De Paul House a two-year lease on the former hostel buildings, allowing it to house homeless at the hostel. The Diocese wanted AUT students removed.

This had angered some in the whanau whanui o Hato Petera, as RNZ previously reported.

An application for an interim injunction was filed in the High Court at Auckland by Hato Petera Limited to prevent the eviction.

Lyndsay Freer, a spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Auckland, says the land on which Hato Petera is situated was gifted to the Diocese to be used for the education of children of all races, not as reported in the New Zealand Herald and RNZ, for the education of Maori children.

The New Zealand Herald also reported that "The school has had various names during its history, including St Mary's Industrial School for Maori Boys and St Peter's Maori College, before it changed its name to Hato Petera in 1972."

However, Freer says St Mary's Industrial School was not on the Hato Petera site but was located on land now occupied by St Joseph's School in Takapuna.

"This particular land was never part of the Crown gift but was privately bought," she said.

A further hearing has been scheduled later this year between the Catholic Diocese of Auckland and a third party.

Source

• New Zealand Herald
• RNZ
• Image: Maori Television

The church closed the hostel to college students last year, and the Catholic Maori high school is still fighting to get its boarding facility back. Continue reading

The Bishop of Auckland, Patrick Dunn, said he was disappointed by Minister of Education's decision not to close the school.

The a co-educational Year 9-13 state integrated school is located in Northcote on Auckland's North Shore. On 1^st July 2016 the stood at of 49 students, with all of these students identifying as Maori. 90% of the students are boarders.

The hostel was closed in October after the Ministry of Education revoked the Hostel licence "out of concern about the ability of the hostel management and staff to provide a safe environment for boarders".

In July 2016 Bishop Dunn initiated an extensive consultation process on the long term viability of the College, with the possibility of closure.

This consultation process was undertaken by three independent education consultants and included six public hui and four stakeholder hui, along with a number of submissions by interested parties.

The consultation process focused on the following key concerns about the College's long term viability:

• the low roll
• the limited breadth of the curriculum being offered to students
• the College's financial position
• the College's breach of the Integration Agreement
• the breakdown of relationships between the Board of Trustees and the governing body responsible for the boarding hostel.

Bishop Dunn says: "After considering all of the information from the consultation process, my concerns remain."

"In particular, the Consultation Report questions the ability of the College to provide an education that best meets the needs of students, and the opportunities for them to excel to the best of their abilities in the rapidly changing education environment of the 21^st century."

"Having said this I will respect the decision of the Minister."

The Bishop, who is the proprietor of the school, will continue work with the Ministry of Education on the matter.

Source

• Supplied
• tvnz.co.nz
• Image: i.ytimg.com

Executive members of the registered society who were elected were:
Chairperson: Dr Sir Noble (Toby) Curtis.
Deputy-chairperson: Frank Solomon.
Secretary: Norman McKenzie.
Treasurer: Janice Smith.
Kaumatua and Kuia: Joseph Edwards and Naida Glavish
Rangatahi representative: Wiremu Smith.

Sir Toby commented: "We are grateful for the assistance we have received from the Catholic Bishop of Auckland and his diocesan officials, as well as from officials of the Ministry of Education in the establishment of this new governance structure for the non-integrated sections of Hato Petera Marae, and we hope that we can now work toward securing the future of this College which has served our people well since its foundation in 1928."

In response to this development the spokesperson for the Auckland diocese, Lyndsay Freer said "the diocese has undertaken wide consultation about the future of Hato Petera College in recent weeks."

"This process is still ongoing, and until it is completed it is not appropriate for us to make further comment."

Relationship between the Society and Hato Petera Limited

The rules for the Hato Petera Society Incorporated state that membership shall be drawn from Te Whanau o Hato Petera.

The main criteria for membership are the principles of Catholic and Maori education. All members are required to complete the membership form and pay the annual fee of $50.00.

Under the new structure, the incorporated society is the holder of the single share in charitable company called Hato Petera Limited.

The company holds the licence to operate the school's hostels.

Both the society and the company are registered under the relevant legislation.

The income and property of the company can be used only for the activities of the company or by a way of dividend gift or such other means as the board may consider appropriate to Hato Petera Society Incorporated for the charitable apostolic and religious activities of the incorporated society within New Zealand.

The Hato Petera Society Incorporated executive is empowered to appoint up to 4 directors of the company. The appointment is for a fixed term of three years.

The Incorporated Society also appoints the chair and the deputy chair of the company's board.

Source

Supplied
Image: i.ytimg.com

He was speaking after the first of five consultation hui arranged to discuss the future of the College.

Read more on Auckland Diocese website

The school's roll stands at 49. Last year 85 enrolled were enrolled. The roll stood at 148 in 2009.

Only 16 students meet the special character of the school - far fewer than the required 95 percent The school's integration agreement requires.

But Matthews wonders about the motivation behind the consultation.

"To suggest the possibility of shutting the doors is just scaremongering and you have to wonder as to the true motivation behind the consultation process."

"Why is this consultation taking place now? And why is it necessary to move so quickly?"

Chairman of the school's board Mate Webb said closure of the only Catholic Maori co-ed school in the country was unacceptable.

"Parents may fear closure is imminent but perhaps the bishop has jumped the gun."

The meeting took place in Takapuna on Thursday. It was was which was closed to media.

About 20 people attended the meeting with three independent consultants hired by the diocese.

Those in attendance included families of students and both current and former staff, some of whom had left their jobs due to a perceived "unravelling" of the school in the past years.

A second meeting took place on Saturday in Kaikohe and the third on Sunday in Panguru.

There has of now been no reports about these meetings

Another meeting is planned for Sunday 14 August at Te Kamaka Marae, Hato Petera College.

The final meeting will be on Sunday 28 August 2.00-4.00pm at Te Unga Waka Marae in Epsom.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: i.ytimg.com

The Bishop said one of the options to be considered is the possible closure of the school.

However he gave an assurance that the school will stay open for the rest of the year.

Furthermore any decision on the school's future will be made in time for families to plan for 2017.

Dunn said The Ministry of Education has approved the launch of the consultation process.

Interested individuals and groups are encouraged to become involved in the process and have until Wednesday 7 September to provide written submissions.

More information is available on the Auckland Catholic Diocese's website

Hato Petera College is a co-educational Year 9-13 state integrated school located in Northcote on Auckland's North Shore.

The 1 July roll was 49 students, with all of these students identifying as Maori.

Dunn says he has concerns about the low number of students enrolled, the impact the low roll has on the breadth of curriculum that can be offered.

Other concerns included school finances and breaches of an integration agreement.

There has also been breakdown in the relationship between the Board of Trustees and Hato Petera Ltd (previously Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust Board) which impacts on the governance of the school.

"I know this will cause some uncertainty for families with sons and daughters attending Hato Petera.

"I also recognise that Hato Petera College has a proud history...however, on balance, I believe the time is right to make informed decisions on the future of the school."

Dunn noted that the consultation is about the school itself, not the hostel or the school site as any decisions about these aspects would be made once the school's future has been decided.

"However, to allay any concerns I can confirm that if at the end of the process the school did close, the site will not be sold and should be used for education purposes."

Hato Petera is Auckland's last Maori boarding school. Two other Auckland Maori boarding schools, St Stephen's and Queen Victoria, were closed in the early 2000s.

Source

• hatopetera.aucklandcatholic.org.nz
  Image: i.ytimg.com

A new governing body now has been formed to operate the hostels.

A Ministry of Education spokeswoman says any new entity formed to operate the hostels will now need to apply for a licence to do so.

Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust ceased to operate on April 29.

Rudy Taylor, who was the Trust's deputy chairman, says they have set up an incorporated society to replace the trust board.

He said the society has been approved but is yet to be named and finalised.

Despite the fact that the Catholic Diocese of Auckland last year announced the closure of the College's boarding facilities, the Trust had managed to keep the school operating.

The diocese said the trust deed had been continually breached over its term, which was why it had not renewed the lease for a further 20 years, but offered only a five-year rolling lease arrangement in 2014.

In January whanau, former students and members of the local community helped to renovate the hostel buildings at the College.

In February operation and boarding warrant of fitness licences for five of Hato Petera's hostels were approved and signed off by the Ministry of Education.

At that time there were about 42 students enrolled.

Taylor said that under the Trust, the Catholic diocese of Auckland had financial responsibility.

This responsibility will now fall on the incorporated society.

He says the society will "make sure we can operate and run a better ship" for the college on Auckland's North Shore.

He hopes the restructure will also encourage a rising roll.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: i.ytimg.com

On 28 January Vice Chairman Rudy Taylor said the renovated boarding hostel was ready for the arrival of this year's group of students. He's proud of all those who have worked hard to bring the building up to standard.

"All the raruraru of the past is now over and the whanau trust eagerly awaits the final sign off from the Ministry of Education.

Earelier in the month the Ministry of Education's head of sector enablement and support Katrina Casey says there are some issues.

"Our primary interest is in licensing the hostel," Casey says.

"In this case there are health and safety requirements that need to be addressed. Should the trust seek to reopen its boarding facilities we will first require an independent inspection to ensure all health and safety work has been completed satisfactorily." Continue reading and also New CEO appointed to Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust

They say they are disappointed that the Catholic Diocese of Auckland does not recognise their legality.

"We absolutely reject this unfortunate claim made by the Diocese," said chairman Murray Painting.

The Trust has 12 board members, made up of whanau and bishops' representatives.

It is is a separate entity to Hato Petera College Board of Trustees.

"A Hui a Whanau was held on 22 November 2015 as the trust had been operating without a quorum due to a number of resignations, so took the necessary steps in accordance with the constitution to add trustees so the Whanau Trust Board could once again conduct its business," Painting said.

"The appointment of new trustees was duly carried out and is now ready to fulfil its responsibilities."

"These responsibilities include commencing immediate discussions with the Ministry of Education because they manage the hostel licence."

Painting said that they believed the Ministry of Education was not informed by the Diocese of the closure before it was announced back in October.

"This is unusual behaviour particularly when there is an Integration Agreement between these parties." he said.

In August the Ministry warned that the Hostel licence could be cancelled.

While the ministry doesn't have oversight of school hostels, it is responsible for their licensing and in extreme circumstances it can be cancelled.

The Ministry gave the Trust until December to complete the repairs.

They also asked the Board to address staffing, security and student supervision concerns.

In his press release Painting says "If the concerns of the Diocese regarding the safety and suitability of the boarding hostel are eliminated by the proposed renovation project that is due to start next week, we urge the Diocese to talk to us so that together we can plan continued boarding and a successful school for 2016 and beyond."

"A large pool of 240 volunteers including master builders, electricians, plumbers, interior designers and others have offered their time, skills and materials at no cost to the diocese to bring the buildings up to standard in time for the commencement of the 2016 school year."

Painting has accused the diocese of withholding the financials on which the claims of the insolvency of the Trust Board are based.

He says that based on the draft accounts they have been able to access, there are questions needing to be answered.

"We have prepared a new budget that shows the boarding hostels can operate on a balanced financial footing for 2016 at even the current low level of student enrolment."

He said the difficulties are the result of mismanagement that the diocese permitted to continue up until the reconstruction of the trust board membership.

The diocese, in response to requests by Hato Petera College whanau, set up the Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust over 20 years ago.

The trust deed gives Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust total responsibility for the land, buildings.

Source

• scoop.co.nz
• nzcatholic.org.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: Screenshot 3news.co.nz

The facilities are owned by the Catholic Diocese of Auckland, and it has confirmed that the boarding hostels will not be available in 2016.

The diocese says it was surprised by a press release signed by Murray Painting, announcing that they were reopening.

It says the group represent themselves as board members of Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust, and that legal advice received is that this new group of Trustees is not legally constituted.

The Diocese is unable to officially recognise this group as trustees, and continues to work with the trustees appointed as Executive of the previous board.

The Diocese made the following comments:

• The media statement was released without prior communication to the Diocese of the intentions of those who issued it.
• The stated intention in the media release by Murray Painting to re-open the boarding facilities for Hato Petera College in 2016 has not been accepted or agreed to by the Diocese.
• Work is currently being undertaken to dissolve the Te Whanau of Hato Petera Trust for reasons of insolvency.
• Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trustees are legally liable for all debt incurred.
• The Diocese has worked with the previous trustees to protect them, by providing financial assistance to pay off the debt, but will not do so again.
• The hostel was kept open in Term 4 for Year 11-13 students so that they were able to complete their NCEA exams.
• The hostel was only able to operate in Term 4 because of the financial assistance from the Diocese.
• The lease agreement with the Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust is due to be terminated because of the Trust's failure over an extended period of time to adequately maintain the facilities.

The Diocese says it gave a group, led by Sir Toby Curtis, an option of presenting a submission to set up a separate entity to operate the boarding facilities for Hato Petera College, which would provide a safe environment for students, and which showed that the proposal was going to be financial sustainable.

The due date for the submission was 7 December 2015.

No submission has been received. Rather the Diocese was informed on the 7 December that the new Trust group has been delegated responsibility for preparing the submission.

A request for extension of time for the submission has been declined by the Diocese.

The diocese has expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education for the work they have already undertaken to assist whanau to find alternative educational facilities for those students who are unable to attend Hato Petera College as a day student in 2016.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• tekarere
• Supplied: Media & Communications, Catholic Diocese of Auckland
• Image: screenshot tekarere

A statement by Murray Painting has expressed optimism about the school's future.

News reports have been confused. Some have referred to Painting as the newly elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees. It seems however that he is the chair of Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust.

Hato Petera College has two boards.

One is the Whanau Hato Petera Trust, which is responsible for the dorms and the lease of the land.

The other is the Board of Trustees, which is responsible for education.

The Whanau Hato Petera Trust does not come directly under the authority of the Ministry of Education.

"The trust wishes to advise the parents, students and staff that the boarding facilities will be open and we look forward to welcoming them at the commencement of the school year in 2016," Painting said.

"With the refreshing of the governance team of the Trust, we are determined to meet this challenge head on."

"We look forward to opening in 2016 with a student body that will benefit from the renewed energy and determination that the Trust has to create a centre of pastoral care second to none with access to a centre of educational excellence."

In October Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust and the Catholic Diocese of Auckland announced the closure of boarding facilities at Hato Petera.

The Trust said it has serious financial issues and this will only become worse because of the financial costs associated with the facilities.

It said that "the current operating model for the hostel does not adequately meet the needs of our students."

On Monday Painting said the Trust looks forward to a fruitful and productive relationship with the bishop and the diocese.

"The Auckland Catholic Diocese has always played an important role in the life of Hato Petera College."

"Hato Petera has been the jewel in its crown as far as the secondary school education of Maori students in the diocese is concerned."

"The Takapuna land grant deed vested in the diocese for educational purposes by the then governor Sir George Grey has been the site of Hato Petera since its inception."

"Hato Petera has been the jewel in its crown as far as the secondary school education of Maori students in the diocese is concerned."

Source

• scoop.co.nz
• maoritelevision.com
• nzherald.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• Image: facebook