Hikoi with a difference: 200 kids march on Parliament

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Tue, 17 May 2011 7:00p.m.

KIS head boy Kunere Timoti

KIS head boy Kunere Timoti

Kawerau was the place many hadn’t heard of, until Danielle Hayes won New Zealand’s Next Top Model and slagged her home town off.

Times are tough there and have been for years.

When the Government decided to close some schools there, they may have figured that there wouldn’t be much of a fight.

If they did, they were wrong.

Whilst the people of Kawerau could live with their four primary schools being reduced to two, they’re adamant they must keep their intermediate – Kawerau Intermediate School or KIS.

In fact, they felt so strongly about it, the entire school got onto buses and drove eight hours to Wellington to tell Education Minister Anne Tolley how much they love their school.

Watch John Campbell’s report

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Comments

23 Jun 2011 08:35a.m.

Max wrote:

Alot of my nephew and neices were educated at this school,they are now grown up to be passionate and loving parents.It's not at all a gang related place, everywhere in the world have many gangs. The only thing that is needed there is stability and moore jobs. Maybe instead of closing the intermidiate, the government could help by putting funds toward building factories runned by the community and their family, I asure you that it will help in more ways than ever. Good on you whanau you are the future!

27 May 2011 05:04p.m.

Mouthguard wrote:

JJ, I'm overrated? Really, who does the ratings? You don't seem to be making much sense. You are just a pro-Labour raver mate. You care little for facts and even bag National when they fund a hospital for goodness sake. Keep it up, you'll go far. By the way anytime you want to thank we taxpayers for your dole, go right ahead. I love the ad hominem attacks! I'm a jerk. Nice, I feel bad about that, you big nasty bully man. Try attacking my points, rather than getting angry that someone has the gall to disagree with you. I was tempted to suggest that you were educated at the intermediate in question given how rubbish your English is, but that would be churlish. You could have failed anywhere.

21 May 2011 02:51p.m.

jj wrote:

Mouthguard you are nothing but a overrated jerk,go back to school and learn to get a brain,you Nat pull through.Whast makes you think you are well educated,any tickets you hold were probably won in a raffle.And by the way this posting board looks?You dont belong on it.

21 May 2011 12:09a.m.

Greg wrote:

Good on these teachers and kids, a worthy hikoi indeed!

I only have good memories of Kawerau, we used to play @ Butts motor inn way back in the 1970`s.

Shame on all the governments for taking away small town industries, the whole of NZ is now in collapse mode with this nasty government

20 May 2011 08:42p.m.

jj wrote:

Just leave Kawerau alone it is a great little settlement,good education area for children,we lived in Kawerau for twenty years and bought up our children who attended intermediate there,we left just before Caxton paper mill became Carter Holt Harvey ,And not long after the Edgecumbe earth quake.Good on those teachers taking the students down to Wellington?I can remember students that traveled to Wellington from all over the country to travel on the Wellington too Lyttelton inter island ferry.There was no backlash then,Like the idiots that are anti on here.If a protest is required to be shown that those who dont agree to cut backs to education etc should be able to do so it it is not a riot,does not matter what age the children are, as long as they are in the hands of adults,does not matter if they are teachers,who want to show the government that they dont accept to what they are doing,in the education sector.Tolley is not a very well educated woman,and is very disliked for her cut throat ideas.

20 May 2011 04:57p.m.

Janet wrote:

John, don't count on Danielle Hayes for your full research of Kawerau! It is a wonderful town and no more a gang town than Auckland or Christchurch...er make that LESS!
Kawerau has wonderful schools that turn out a LOT of kids who go on to further education. It also has best water in NZ, only free hot pools (beautiful), free campervan parking, lots of events, beauty, friendliness........all we are missing is fairness in being allowed to keep our Intermediate School. We Must keep it!
We are actually not a poor town either..(shhh)...we are also generally very happy.

19 May 2011 04:49p.m.

katie wrote:

im a student at kis and its awsome as there and kunere is my friend hes cool but i wanna say that we are not giving up this is only the beginning

19 May 2011 03:29p.m.

MATT wrote:

@JOHN, you sound bloody ignorant mate, why make this into a racial issue. You are the definition of 'small minded'. For you to have an issue with people standing up for their opinion is a true shame, most of the people on this march took days without pay for the cause. It shows they care.

19 May 2011 02:54p.m.

Kelly Tuari wrote:

What an inspirational group. Kunere and children like him are the future of New Zealands. What a articulate, passionate and compelling young man he is. His korero was enough to stir me more than any speech Anne Tolley could ever dream of. Come on government, invest in your people, these people and NZ future. Do not deny these children or this town any more. These people are fighting for a better life. Why should they, they shouldn't have to fight for a basic right to educational facilities such as an intermediate.

19 May 2011 02:07p.m.

john wrote:

Great learning to walk around all day doing Hoiki's like their cuzzies, great to be some ,we cant do that we all have jobs and work.