Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Queenstown growth leading to crisis, say schools

Updated at 7:09 am on 12 August 2011

Some parents and teachers in Queenstown say the Ministry of Education is ignoring a looming shortage of primary schools in the resort.

Remarkables Primary School principal Debbie Dickson says her 19-month-old school is already near capacity.

Ms Dickson says her school and Queenstown Primary will be able to accommodate the 300 new entrants due to start school next year - but the following year is looking uncertain.

Another 300 to 400 new entrants will want to start school in Queenstown in 2013, she says, and unless the Ministry acts now, there will be crisis.

Parent Shaun Vining says the ministry refuses to believe the resort is growing as fast as it is. He wants Education Minister Anne Tolley to intervene and instruct the ministry to fast track its plans for Queenstown.

The ministry has told Remarkables Primary School to reduce the size of its zone to force some of the new entrants to go to Queenstown Primary.

Mrs Tolley says she trusts the ministry's calculations that there is enough space at both schools for the next two years after which a new may be built.

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