“I believe there is a future for Hato Petera. What it looks like, I don’t know,” Dr O’Sullivan said.
Whether that includes boarders is not clear.
O’Sullivan is the chairman of the 12-person Whanau Hato Petera Trust which manages Hato Petera’s hostel.
The school recently announced a review of its structure and the model in which it delivers its education.
It is hoped to complete the review by the end of the year.
Hato Petera recently closed its junior hostel.
Senior students have been told a decision about their hostel accommodation will be made by the end of the year.
O’Sullivan said the hostels were cold, draughty and having plumbing issues.
“They’re 83 years old and they look 83 years old. That’s one aspect,” he said.
“Some other aspects that are challenging for the trust board, to be able to put our hands on our hearts and say we can guarantee everything we offer and promise the parents is the model the right model, the way we run things?
“I think that’s what we really want to scrutinise over the next term to figure out … is that what we really want to be doing.”
The Hato Petera land, which was gifted by the Crown for the purposes of Maori education, is the subject of a Waitangi Tribunal claim.
Source
- radionnz.co.nz
- Image: Screenshot
Image: