Education Minister Hekia Parata has received the first submission from one of the Maori immersion schools in Christchurch rejecting a future merger.
The Government wants to amalgamate Te Whanau Tahi and Whakapumau i Te Reo Tuturu o Waitaha as part of a wider plan to reorganise the education system after recent earthquakes in the region.
Ms Parata visited Te Whanau Tahi on Thursday and at the conclusion of her visit was presented with the school's submission against the merger.
The facilitator for the submission, Melanie Riwai-Couch, says it includes a proposition to increase the kura's community involvement by introducing an early childhood centre, offering evening courses and an after-school homework centre.
Mrs Riwai-Couch says it is the first of two submissions and the kura can now regroup before issuing the second which will include a research into the effects of a merger on the community.
