November 25, 2015
Turakina to close after 110 years
Turakina to close after 110 years
Turakina Maori Girls College is to close.
The long-feared news was confirmed to the board of trustees in a teleconference with Education Minister Hekia Parata yesterday afternoon.
Board spokesperson Piri-Hira Tukapua says from the outset there has been a systemic failure by the Education Ministry and the minister to seek culturally appropriate solutions to enable the school’s survival.
She says the limited statutory manager installed in January 2013 had no experience with a Maori school, let alone a Maori boarding school.
Since July Minister Parata has repeatedly and publicly cited a falling enrolments, the health and safety of the school’s hostel, and the proprietor’s financial viability as reasons for closure.
Ms Tukapua says the school community responded with viable solutions to rectify the Minister’s concerns, but it was denied the opportunity to preserve Turakina’s 110-year legacy of educating young Maori women and fostering Mana Wahine.
Turakina was established in 1905 to educate young Maori women within the tenets of the Presbyterian Church.
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