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New Zealand explores "metro schools" to address city growth

Xinhua, May 13, 2017 Adjust font size:

Metro schools will be considered as another option to meet future education needs in high-growth urban centers such as Auckland, said New Zealand Education Minister Nikki Kaye on Saturday.

"A metro school is an innovative model that responds to the need to provide education in intensified urban areas, where the large areas of land associated with a traditional school may be hard to acquire," Kaye said.

Metro schools may be located on a more compact site, leased rather than purchased; use community amenities such as fields and gym facilities, rather than having its own; draw on its location to enrich the educational experience for students, e.g. through access to museums and libraries, and connections with local businesses which can lead to work placements, she said.

"Schools can have access to community facilities, and the community can also benefit from access to school facilities," Kaye said.

The Ministry of Education is also taking a more strategic approach to acquiring land for schools, looking further ahead with planning and identifying where land may be needed 20 to 30 years from now, she said.

However, with parts of New Zealand, especially Auckland, becoming increasingly urbanized and intensified, the idea of procuring infrastructure and delivering education in these areas needs to change, she added.

Kaye cited the example of AoTawhiti Unlimited Discovery, a special character school in Christchurch which reflects key principles of a metro school. The school's vision incorporates family-like relationships between the school, parents, and the wider community, who are all heavily involved in school life and delivering the curriculum. An inner-city location enables the school to fully utilize the amenities and experiences that the city offers.

The government has mapped out a set of principles to guide possible investment in metro schools in New Zealand, Kaye said, adding that metro school should be considered "a transport hub" and will be able to work collectively and cooperatively with surrounding schools. Endit