Save Karori Kids and Campbell Kindergarten – picnic

Press Release

Save Karori Kids and Campbell Kindergarten – picnic at parliament

Parents and children from Karori Kids Pre-school and Campbell Kindergarten will gather at parliament on Thursday to present a petition to keep both centres open.

The centres are at risk because the Ministry of Education transferred the land they are on to Victoria University in 2015 as part of a deal involving the former College of Education site in Karori. The Ministry did not consult or even inform the centres that this had happened.

Victoria University now wants to sell the land, and parents say the Ministry should negotiate to take it back so the children can continue to thrive.

The two centres have a proud record of serving the Karori community for over 35 years offering high quality early childhood education.

Parent Karin Schofield describes the process as shocking, and says the local community which has invested heavily in both centres through fundraising and working bees, may now be left with nothing.

“I can’t understand why the Ministry transferred the land to Victoria University in the first place. We want the Ministry to purchase the two properties and reinstate the agreements that we have had with the Crown for well over thirty years.”

“Both centres are well-used community assets and it makes no sense to threaten their viability in this way. Our children are settled and thriving, and parents don’t want to unsettle their children and interupt their early childhood education” she says.

Affected parents, teachers and children will be at parliament from 10.45 with morning tea, short speeches and a magic show.

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