Waikanae Businesses support local schools

24 February 2014

Waikanae Businesses support local schools

Ten businesses from one street in Waikanae have clubbed together to help five and six year old children continue to enjoy school trips.

Late last year the law changed relating to child car restraints, extending the age children must be in suitable car seats, from five to seven years old. The local schools in the area, Waikanae School and Kapanui School didn’t have any car seats or funding allocated for them so off-site activities like gymnastics, visiting museums or reserves had to be cut from their school programmes.

After hearing about this situation, a number of businesses from Omahi Street in Waikanae decided to find a solution. Richard Foote from Shaft Automative contacted the schools to find out how many seats were needed and then organised the purchase of booster car seats through Plunket.

Subsequently, along with Shaft Automotive, Best Practice Law, Display Tactix, Eurometals, McMillans Panel and Paint, The Pantry, Waikanae Funeral Home, Waikanae Mower Services, Wellpet Veterinary Centre and Woodmans Automative contributed the money to buy 10 car booster seats for Waikanae School and 15 for Kapanui School.

Principal of Waikanae School Bevan Campbell and Deputy Principal of Kapanui School John Brunton and two pupils from each school met with the businesses involved to thank them personally for their assistance. Mr Campbell said two of the seats have already been used to take sick children home. “It’s great to have the flexibility to transport children in an emergency without worrying about breaking the law,” said Mr Campbell.

Trish Amor-Davy from Best Practice Law hoped other businesses might copy them and buy seats for other schools in Kapiti – who all face the same problem. “We would like to challenge other streets to get involved and offer similar sponsorship where needed so that children at other schools can continue to enjoy trips and broaden their learning experience”.

ENDS

© Scoop Media