Remarkables Primary School board of trustees chairwoman Fiona Woodham, of Frankton, and Catholic Education Office director Tony Hanning, of Dunedin, were asked to comment on yesterday's announcement that a school with ultrafast broadband and energy-efficient buildings will be built on 3ha in the planned Shotover Country residential development.
Education Minister Hekia Parata said the school would cater for year one to year eight pupils across Queenstown, Frankton Flats, Arrowtown and Lake Hayes and take pressure off Queenstown Primary, Remarkables Primary and Arrowtown schools.
''The Government recognises that the population is growing in that area,'' Ms Parata said.
''There were around 1635 primary school-age students in the Wakatipu basin as at July 2012 and the number is expected to grow to approximately 2400 by 2020.''
Mrs Woodham said Remarkables Primary School welcomed the introduction of a new primary school. However, ''it's a big unknown how it's going to affect us''.
''Is it going to be a staged-opening school, because that has all kinds of implications as to when the pressure gets relieved at different year levels ... families make decisions on whether they are going to get all their children in one school.''
Lake Hayes Estate, beside Shotover Country, was shut out of Remarkables Primary's enrolment zone when it was reduced by the board at the ministry's request last year. Remarkables Primary has a capacity of 460 pupils and had 459 pupils as of yesterday. The new school would not have repercussions on the planned $3 million to $5 million campus to be built for 112 Catholic primary school-aged children on Speargrass Flat Rd, near Arrowtown.
''When our development is able to take place, we would be offering a parallel service as it were for local Catholic families in that area,'' Mr Hanning said.
A public notice next week will call for nominations for the school's establishment board. The board will develop the new school's charter, influence its design and choose its name. It will appoint staff for an anticipated 24 full-time positions.
The board would decide which Wakatipu areas will be in the school's enrolment zone in consultation with neighbouring schools.
