January 30, 2018
Old boys set date to reopen St Stephen’s
The St Stephen's Old Boys Association believes it is on track to reopen the historic south Auckland Maori boarding school by 2020.
The association was formed in 2013 to push for the reopening.
Chair Joe Harawira says three options are being considered:
– refurbish the existing buildings in Bombay;
– to bowl the buildings and start afresh;
– or to leave the site for the memories of old boys and build somewhere else, preferably in land owned by the Queen Victoria and St Stephen's Trust Board.
He says the committee is buoyed by the positive response to the announcement at the Old Boy's reunion at Kokohinau Marae in Te Teko on ther weekend.
"We're looking at meetings with the St Stephen's Queen Victoria Trust, with the church, with the government in terms of the Education Ministry and the like so there is a lot of work to be done. We have had quite a bit of time to prepare for this and we think we are at a point where we are able to carry our kaupapa through to fruition," Mr Harawira says.
While the school will focus on Maori boys, it will not be a replica of the school that closed in 2000.
Copyright © 2018, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com