Maori school comes to an end

KATHY WEBB

The illegal "school" set up at a marae in Raupunga has collapsed, with the last eight to 10 children now enrolled at registered schools.

The Ministry of Education has halted prosecutions against the parents of children attending the unregistered Maori-language classes, and its administrators. They faced fines of $1000 each for refusing to send their children to proper schools.

The Te Huki marae school opened with fanfare on January 26, with organiser Wi Derek Huata claiming to have 24 children on the roll, drawn from schools from Hastings to Wairoa.

The breakaway was in response to the closure of Raupunga School and its merger with Mohaka School at the end of last year.

Mr Huata said the renegade school - Te Kura O Nga Hapu O Pahauwera Ki Raupunga - was in for the long haul, and he expected the Ministry would eventually come up with funding and hand over the old Raupunga School buildings and grounds.

By April, the school had only eight to 10 children left, and the Ministry had begun legal proceedings through the Crown Law Office in Napier.