Provincial Schools Show How It’s Done

MEDIA RELEASE
March 28, 2000

Provincial Schools Show Their Big City Friends How It’s Done

New Zealand’s provincial schools are socking it to their big city counterparts with two thirds of the finalists in the 1999 Goodman Fielder School of the Year Awards outside the four main centres. Of these provincial schools more than half are country based.

The fifteen finalists cover the length and breadth of the country from Kaikohe in the North Island to Invercargill in the South providing a broad geographic representation.

Judging panel chairman and former Prime Minister the Rt Hon David Lange says the strength in the provincial and rural areas is a direct reflection of an unyielding community spirit.

“Schools in provincial areas act as a common ground for the community and the benefits of this dedicated partnership are strongly reflected in the achievements these schools have made. The advent of electronic networking gives rural schools a major leap in access to the world providing a much greater depth of information,” says Mr Lange.

Assisting David Lange on the judging panel were former Governor General Dame Catherine Tizard, television personality Gary McCormick, renowned sportswoman and previous secondary school teacher April Ieremia, Colin Wise managing director of Goodman Fielder Milling and Baking and past member of the Picot Committee on education administration along with educationalists Pat Riley and Noel Scott.

A staff and student representative from each of the fifteen finalist schools will be flown to Wellington to attend a special awards ceremony in Wellington on the 27 April. The winners of each category will be announced along with the overall winner of the 1999 Goodman Fielder School of the Year title.
The five category winners with each receive $10,000 cash with the overall winner receiving an additional $40,000. The ten runner up schools will be presented with $1,000 each.

The awards ceremony will be compered jointly by April Ieremia and Gary McCormick and will include guest speakers Minster of Education the Hon Trevor Mallard, the Rt Hon David Lange and Cheryl Doig, principal of Richmond Primary School, last years’ Goodman Fielder School of the Year.

The fifteen finalists by category are:

Primary/Intermediate Small Hira School (Nelson)
Patearoa School (North Otago)
Tautoro Primary (Kaikohe)

Primary/Intermediate Medium Cathedral Grammar School (Christchurch)
Elgin School (Gisborne)
Galatea School (Murapara, Bay of Plenty)

Primary/Intermediate Large Farm Cove Intermediate (Pakuranga, Auckland)
Selwyn Ridge Primary (Tauranga)
Tahatai Coast School (Papamoa)

Secondary Birkenhead College (Auckland)
Horowhenua College (Levin)
Mt Roskill Grammar (Auckland)

Composite Piopio College (King Country)
Pleasant Point High School (Canterbury)
Tweedsmuir Junior High School (Invercargill)

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Released on behalf of Goodman Fielder Ltd by Porter Novelli New Zealand (Auckland) Ltd

For further information please contact:

Colin Wise Goodman Fielder Milling and Baking 09 272 1200
or
Carolyn Wellburn Porter Novelli New Zealand (Auckland) Ltd. 09 373 3786

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