Frequently asked questions
What is Bush District Education Planning about?
This a community driven process to engage with the people of the Bush District in Southern Tararua to develop a vision for education and a strategic plan for achieving that vision. Bush District Education Planning is your chance as a member of the Bush community to have a say about the future of education in the district.
The process will result in a strategic plan that will be presented to the Minister of Education.
Who is directly involved in this work?
A working Group of community representatives is leading the process with help from independent facilitators. The Ministry of Education also has a representative on the group.
A Professionals Group with representatives of all the schools involved liaises with the Working Group.
Find out more about who is involved.
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What role does the Ministry of Education play?
The Ministry of Education’s role is to oversee the process, provide support and advice to the Working Group and present the final recommendations and strategic plan to the Minister of Education. Roger Marshall is the Ministry of Education representative for the project. He can be contacted by email at roger.marshall@minedu.govt.nz [no spam].
What will this mean for the schools in the Bush District?
The focus of this process is to develop a long-term vision for education in the Bush District and a plan to achieve this vision. This may involve discussions around the size, type and number of schools, however the focus is on ensuring the best educational environment for learners in the Bush District.
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How much of a say does the community have?
This process is all about giving community a say in the future of education. It is one of three projects around the country that the Ministry of Education has underway. The views of the community will be put to the Minister of Education directly as a Bush District strategic education plan. The more the community can express a unified voice, the more helpful this is in achieving the community's vision. Please take time to consider the issues that are raised through this process.
How can I be involved?
There are a number of ways you can be involved:
- Talk to members of the working group.
See Who is involved? for more details about members of the Working Group
- Attend a town meeting. These will be held in Eketahuna, Pahiatua and Woodville in March and there will be additional meetings in June or July
See Events and meetings for dates and venues of the town meetings
- Attend a sector group meeting if you belong to a particular group and receive an invitation
- Request a sector group or neighbourhood meeting by contacting the facilitators or your nearest Working Group member.
- Complete a response form
See Response sheet for more details and to download the sheet
You can also contact the facilitators if you have any questions or want more information.