Hon Bill English National Party Education Spokesman
30 August 2006
Where is Maharey on zoning?
Education Minister Steve Maharey must step into the Auckland Grammar zoning row and explain exactly what the law means,
says National Party Education spokesman Bill English.
He is commenting on a Ministry of Education ruling that Auckland Grammar School must reinstate 20 of the 45 students it
had expelled for breaching zoning regulations.
Mr English says that parents, who are in the process of enrolling their children for next year, need to know the rules.
"The Ministry's decision shows that its interpretation of the law is quite different to Auckland Grammar's.
"They are both reading the same legislation but they can't both be right.
"It's time for Mr Maharey to clarify the law and provide some certainty for families.
"It looks like Labour is softening its rigid zoning stance. The Minister has clearly been shaken by real life examples
of students in their third or fourth year at a school being forcibly removed because of this overly rigid legislation."
ENDS