Nigel Messervy and Joel Wilton: Havelock North school principals on the Education Ministry scrapping Hawke’s Bay school bus service

A school bus service that has operated in Hawke's Bay for the last two decades has been cut by the Education Ministry - impacting plenty of students, parents and educators.

The Ministry has cut the Clive school bus service after a review, claiming there were public buses the students could use instead.

Havelock North Intermediate principal Nigel Messervy says the public bus route would be a longer one for students  and they wouldn't get back to Clive until 5pm.

"In some cases, those children are then walking to their homes - which might be up to a couple of kilometres away. That's a massive day."

Havelock North High School principal Joel Wilton agrees the longer commute time doesn't seem appropriate. 

"I think a lot of parents are finding it pretty difficult in the current situation, even with public transport or school transport available to them - and this is kind of another hurdle."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now to something going on in Hawk's Bay. Principles and
parents there are upper arms because the Ministry of Education
is acting their school bus. The bus currently drops about
ninety students from Clive to the schools and Havelock North
Ministry says, look, there are public buses available, so the
school bus is going to get the chop.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
You know.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Educator is not happy. Havelock North Intermediate Principal Nigel Misserve
and have Lock North High School Principal Joel Wilton are
both with us at the moment. Highlands Kilder okayne yea,
I'm good, Thank you Nigel. I start with you, why
are you upset about this? If there are public buses,
what are the problems?

Speaker 2 (00:36):
I think it's because under the consultation we've been provided
information on the routes and the timings for these public
buses and we've got a number of concerns around them.
I guess the first one is I've got young students
coming in straight out of primary school from year six
into year seven, so we're talking children around eleven years

(00:57):
to twelve years of age and looking at the roots
have been provided through the public service there they would
be having to leave home at seven o'clock to catch
a seven to twenty bus to ensure that the routes
that those public services will take are able to get
them to school on time. I guess what's more concerning
around that is at the other end of the day.
So if we're finishing school at three o'clock, they then

(01:18):
depart on the service at three point thirty. Both of
the options available to us at the moment that have
been shared out to us in the community mean that
those buses then arrive back in Clive at five pm,
and in some cases those children are then walking to
their homes which might be up to a couple of
quimeters away. I mean, that's a massive day from seven
o'clock in the morning through to after five p for

(01:38):
e eleven year old twelve year old children.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
What's the day like if they're catching the school bus,
what time do they leave in the morning.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
They're catching that bus around about eight o'clock in the
morning at the moment, and it's dropping them off to
our gate just down the road from the school, so
it's a direct route. They don't have to go through hastings,
they don't have to do roots and be delivered and
have lock north and then walk a couple of cas
to then get to school and the advice meself.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
And it's not an option for the parents to drop
them off.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Definitely an option, I guess when I'm listening to the
community and the feedback that's come just in the short
space of time. Now, it's something that weather service has
been provided now for many many years. It is the
only route I guess it could be provided to them
coming straight through to have a lot of rster using
the school services as they stand at the moment, I

(02:27):
think things have changed. I'd like to see some evidence
and even the ministry targeting these families even around the country,
because we're only one small dot at the moment around
New Zealand where this has been affected. And why is
it it's getting harder for parents to take their children
to school and relying on their services. I've got gut
feelings on that, but I'd like to see some evidence
around it.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Joel, I'm pretty sure I heard you make a noise
when I said, is it not an option for parents
to drop them off? What do you think?

Speaker 3 (02:53):
I think a lot of parents find it pretty difficult
in the current situation, even with a transport or school
transport available to them, and this is kind of another
hurdle over and above, and I think Nigel's point it
really comes down to the commute time that makes this
particular situation stand out for students to like Nigel said,

(03:16):
who are eleven years old, to be commuting for three
hours a day to get to school and what is
really a ten minute trip doesn't seem like appropriate public
transport this particular situation.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Are they no schools closer to Clive.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
So we're currently the school that the client students are
in zone for. There are other schools, but they are
quite a distance from all the secondary schools and intermediate
schools in the area, so there aren't any schools in
the Clive area specifically, so Clyde students are zoned for us.
And to be honest, it's not a particularly long distance,

(03:55):
but it certainly is if you have to travel all
the way into Hastings and then back and to have
north to get here, so as.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
The crow flies Clive to have lock north how far.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
Geography? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
Suppose gone of the day as a child would drive
just jump on a bike and bike to school.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Well, we certainly have a few students like that, but
I think again it comes down to you know, tens
of eleven years old. That's perhaps less appropriate, but it's
also I suppose one of the things that we'd also
like to hope is that there are public transport options
or transport options I should say, for students, whether that's

(04:39):
school or public, that are appropriate.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
What do you reckon Nigel is eleven years old too
young to be riding ten k's to school on a bike?

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Oh, in some situations not. I think it depends on
the geography and the layout of cycle safety that's available.
I'm not sure if you're familiar with Clive. It pretty
much slits in the middle between nature and Hastings and
there's no safe cycle routes available for that.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
There pretty busy road zone schools.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
They do have them in those zones. There are specifically
either eighty kilometer or one hundred kilometer zones, depending on
which way you go, and or one of them doesn't
have even a wide cycled space for children. I'd hate
to see them on there as it stands at the moment.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
Guys, thank you very much for talking us through to
appreciate it's Nigel miserving have Lock North Intermediate principle and
Joel Wilton have lock North High School principle.

Speaker 2 (05:28):
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