Ngai Tahu offers Aorangi lifeline

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/The Press

PARTNERSHIP PLAN: Aorangi School pupils Ramera Wrathall, 7, left, and Mukhriz Khairudin, 6, work on their mathematics skills in a bilingual class yesterday.

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Ngai Tahu has offered to pay for the rebuilding of Christchurch's Aorangi School in what would be the first public-private school partnership between an iwi and the Crown.

The proposed deal for the school, which faces closure because of a falling roll and a dispute over replacing its dilapidated buildings, would see its buildings owned by Ngai Tahu and leased to the Crown.

Aorangi board of trustees member Andrew Oh said the school, which has a 40 per cent Maori roll and a bilingual unit, had been put in a difficult situation by the announcement of a Government review of its future in June.

Education Minister Anne Tolley is expected to make a decision next week.

Oh said the Government had been promoting the idea of a public-private partnership (PPP) and Ngai Tahu's commercial arm had been looking at getting into education, so Aorangi School was a "perfect opportunity".

"This is a commercial decision. The bottom line is it does tie in nicely with what they have been trying to do, especially in protecting their language," he said.

Despite the community wanting the school to remain open, Tolley might decide to close it on a purely fiscal argument, Oh said.

Ngai Tahu had talked to the board about a possible PPP, he said, and the board was open to the idea if the Government refused to fund the rebuilding.

"Our submission clearly shows this school should be here on its own merits, but we understand in this economy that the Government needs to look at its alternatives," Oh said. "Our bottom line is, if it doesn't affect the education of children at this school, we don't mind if the Government pays for it or Ngai Tahu pays for it. The bottom line is keeping it here."

A benefit of the Ngai Tahu arrangement was that the board would not have to project-manage the rebuilding to the Government's tight budget, Oh said.

"In many ways, the Ngai Tahu deal is very attractive," he said. "It gives us as a community other options."

Oh expected the PPP proposal to come up when he, former Christchurch mayor Garry Moore and principal Stephanie Thompson met Tolley today.

A spokesman for Tolley said Ngai Tahu had spoken of its interest in the partnership idea.

"The minister explained she couldn't enter into any discussions until a decision has been made on the future of Aorangi School and what is best for its students," he said.

Ngai Tahu chairman Mark Solomon said the iwi was "strongly supportive" of Aorangi School.

"Ngai Tahu has fewer fluent reo speakers than other iwi and so it is concerning when we hear that a school like Aorangi School in Christchurch, with its bilingual unit, may be shut down. We have therefore been proactive in support of the school and have held discussions with the Government and other people of influence."

He said the school was performing excellently.

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