It is time for Queenstown to open a charter school.
Update 29/10/24: Please note that the purpose of this petition is to create a forum for our community to show support for the creation of an additional educational option in the basin in the form of a charter school. While comments may be published with your signature, we kindly ask that you focus your comments on the positive aspects a new school may bring to the district. We believe the best way to get the attention of the decisionmakers is by making a kind, clear, and fair argument.
Please sign this petition to show support for Queenstown to have its own charter school. It will be sent to the panel evaluating potential charter schools for their reintroduction in New Zealand next year.
As Queenstown's growth skyrockets, our town's need for additional educational providers has been well documented. The student population in New Zealand has grown reasonably slowly, with an increase of ~20% since between 1996 and 2023. Meanwhile, Queenstown's has absolutely rocketed, with a 230% increase in the same period.
If current trends continue, our only state-funded secondary school, Wakatipu High School, will reach capacity in 2027. For years, the Ministry of Education has signaled interest in purchasing land for a second high school, however these plans are now on hold indefinitely.
With the re-introduction of charter schools back into New Zealand, Queenstown now has an opportunity to jump-start the process of correcting this problem through driving its own solution. Charters are designed to be publicly funded, but independently operated by non-government sponsors, designed to fit the needs of the community. Importantly, this eliminates the roadblock currently signalled by the ministry, the capital cost of purchasing land and developing a new school from scratch.
The founders of Queenstown’s Liger Leadership Academy, Trevor and Agnieszka Gile, have pledged to gift the Liger Leadership Academy learning model licence to help enable Queenstown to open its first charter school. As recipients of the license, Manawaroa Education plans to open this school at speed, with the new entity assimilating the Liger curriculum and assets, with the support of its team of world-class educators.
Manawaroa Education Director Katherine Allsopp-Smith says the charter school will bring more personalised education options to the basin and now needs the support of the Queenstown community, to help its application to establish the new school for up to 250 students. The charter model also ensures that the education is available to learners across the region, regardless of economic background.
Importantly, a successful charter school must enter a performance-based contract with the Ministry of Education - one that holds the school accountable for delivering ambitious academic and social outcomes for learners.
We will be updating this page with progress as we learn more about a potential charter school in the region. Thank you for your consideration.
Manawaroa Education Contact the author of the petition