By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Heavy machinery lays down the initial groundworks at Te Kura o Tuahiwi. Photo: LDR/supplied
There is a sense of relief at Waimakariri's only Māori immersion school, as work on its expansion finally begins.
Te Kura o Tuahiwi, which sits between Kaiapoi and Rangiora, is set to receive six new classrooms and a new hall to support it's growing school roll.
Board of trustees chairperson Charlie Agi said the build had taken years of planning.
Work had been due to get under way last December, but was put on hold while the Ministry of Education reviewed 352 building projects.
''It has come a long way,'' Agi said.
''To see the work of past members of the board have put in to get to this point, it is amazing. It is awesome.
''The board has shown some resilience to keep pushing.''
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Ministry of Education spokeswoman Sandra Orr said the new classrooms included four for roll growth and the replacement of two classrooms.
The classrooms were being manufactured offsite and would be open for the beginning of term two next year, with the hall due to open in term four.
Principal Dot Singh said the delays had been frustrating, but she was excited for her tamariki to have new classrooms.
''When I came in (two years ago) we were doing the planning and then we were told they were changing the plans, and then it was going ahead - and then it stopped,'' Singh said.
Dot Singh is pleased building work at Te Kura o Tuahiwi has finally got under way. Photo: LDR/supplied
She said she then wrote a two-page letter to the Ministry and to Education Minister Erica Stanford to emphasis the school's special character.
The school was the only kura between Christchurch and Kaikōura ''to meet the needs of whānau who want immersion and bilingual education''.
The kura had a roll of 179 pupils, with another 22 already pre-enrolled for this term and the beginning of next year.
The hall was designed to hold 250 people, meaning the kura would finally be able to hold full school assemblies, prizegivings and indoor sports.
''Our tamariki love basketball,'' Singh said.
The kura regularly supports the marae across the road by hosting people on site before they were welcomed on to the marae.
''When the Māori Queen visited last month, they all assembled here before they went over to the marae.''
Having the hall would provide the option of hosting visitors indoors, and allowing sports to continue in the winter and when it is raining, she said.
Singh said the extra space would also allow the kura to offer a Te Puna Reo group (pre-school) for four-year-olds to help them to prepare for school.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
