Strenuous efforts made on behalf of Waterloo centre

  • Bill English
Associate Minister of Education

Strenuous efforts have been made on behalf of the the Waterloo Teachers Childcare Centre in Lower Hutt, which has to shift premises, Associate Minister of Education Bill English said today.

"The centre has known since 1994 that it could have to look for a permanent home because the Waterloo School classrooms it has been using may be needed in future for roll growth. That need has now arisen and the Ministry of Education advised the centre that it needed the classrooms by the end of October.

"After a meeting with representatives from Waterloo Childcare Centre and MP Joy McLauchlan I have negotiated an extension till the end of the year. This was done through the Ministry and the goodwill of Waterloo School's Board of Trustees.

"Strenuous efforts have been made to assist the centre. It has not established a strong financial base and this has given rise to an understandable level of anxiety about its future.

"There are teacher supply issues involved with this. A package of initiatives on teacher supply which may provide some further options for the centre are due to be announced shortly by the Minister of Education," said Mr English.