Cyclone Cook school closures

UPDATED 9.48AM: Tauranga Intermediate has just made the decision to close the school at 12.30pm.

"As the worst weather is expected to hit Western BOP this afternoon and on updated advice from the Ministry of Education, we will close at 12:30 today. Bus services will operate from 12:30," says a post on its Facebook page.

According to one parent, the Civil Defence is wanting all schools to be closed by 1pm.

EARLIER:

Schools in the Western Bay of Plenty have made the call to stay closed today as ex-cyclone Cook bears down on the region.

At this stage, SunLive is aware of the following schools being closed:

Papamoa College, Golden Sands, Papamoa Primary, Mount College, Mount Primary, Mount Intermediate, Greenpark, Merivale, Maungatapu, Tauriko, all schools in Te Puke, Oropi, Katikati Primary and Katikati College, Pahoia, Greerton Village, Tauranga Primary, Selwyn Ridge, Welcome Bay, Te Puna, Gate Pa, Tauranga Waldorf School & Rose Ring Kindergartens, Otumoetai Primary, Otumoetai Intermediate, Otumoetai College, Pillans Point, Matua Primary, Brookfield Primary and Bellevue Primary.

All Inspired Kindergartens will also remain closed today.

SunLive will continue to update this story as we are made aware of more closures.

Further afield

With heavy rain forecast to continue, all schools and early learning centres in the Eastern Bay of Plenty will be advised to remain closed, and there will be further closures in the Franklin area, Great Barrier Island, Waiheke Island, Thames and Coromandel.

In total 94 schools and 130 early childhood centres have been advised to close, says the Ministry of Education's deputy secretary of Sector Enablement and Support Katrina Casey.

'All 57 schools and about 80 ECEs in the Eastern Bay of Plenty have been contacted and advised to close tomorrow. Another 13 schools and 17 ECEs on Great Barrier Island, Waiheke and in the Franklin area, and a further 24 schools and 33 ECEs in Thames and Coromandel have also been contacted and advised to close tomorrow – meaning they will all be closed until the end of the school holidays.

'We did not take this decision lightly but with weather conditions set to continue, concerns are centred around the ability for students to make it safely to and from school.

'We are mindful that for school communities in the Eastern Bay of Plenty – those in the Whakatane, Opotiki and Kawerau districts – this is a second day of disruption for students, their parents and staff but with the information we have available we consider this to be the right call.

'Our focus will now go on supporting schools to ensure they are able to effectively operate at the beginning of Term 2 and to ensure parents who are displaced from home have got appropriate schooling options available for their children.

'Parents whose children go to schools in other parts of the Bay of Plenty or elsewhere in the country where there is a significant impact from the weather should check their schools websites or facebook pages,” Katrina Casey says. As at 9:00pm a further 12 schools and 2 ECE from Western Bay of Plenty have also voluntarily made the decision to close.

Schools and early learning services advised to close tomorrow:

Eastern Bay of Plenty schools: Allandale School, Apanui School, Ashbrook School, Awakeri School, Edgecumbe College, Edgecumbe School, Galatea School, James Street School, Kawerau Putauaki School, Kawerau South School, Kawerau Teen Parent Unit, Kutarere School, Maketu School, Matata School, Murupara Area School, Nukuhou North School, Ohope Beach School, Omarumutu School, Opotiki College, Opotiki School, Otakiri School, Otamarakau School, Paengaroa School, Pongakawa School, Pukehina School, Rangiuru School, St Joseph's Catholic School (Matata), St Joseph's Catholic School (Opotiki), St Joseph's Catholic School (Whakatane), Taneatua School, Tarawera High School, Tawera Bilingual School, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Orini ki Ngati Awa, Te Kura Mana Maori Maraenui, Te Kura Mana Maori o Matahi, Te Kura Mana Maori o Whangaparaoa, Te Kura Maori-a-Rohe o Waiohau, Te Kura o Te Paroa, Te Kura o Te Teko, Te Kura o Te Whanau-a-panui, Te Kura o Torere, Te Kura Toitu o Te Whaiti-nui-a-Toi, Te Mahoe School, Te Wharekura o Ruatoki, Te Whata Tau o Putauaki, Thornton School, TKK Motuhake o Tawhiuau, TKKM o Huiarau, TKKM o Waioweka, Trident High School, Waimana School, Waiotahe Valley School, Whakatane High School, Whakatane Intermediate, Whakatane S D A School, Whakatane Teen Parent Unit and Woodlands School (Opotiki).

Eastern Bay of Plenty ECEs: Seedlings Preschool, Ngā Ririki Early Learning Centre, Kawerau Preschool Learning Centre (Incorporated), Te Manaaki Educational Pre-School Trust, Maketu EduCare, Matatā Early Learning Centre, Murupara Educare Centre, Te Pou Oranga ō Whakatohea ECE Centre Ki Buchanan Street, Opotiki Community Childcare Centre, Opotiki Rose Garden Preschool, Te Whare Kohungahunga o Nga Whetu Tiaho Shining Stars Preschool, Te Pou Oranga ō Whakatohea ECE Centre Ki Richard Street, Happy Feet Preschool, Pukehina EduCare, Little Orchard Preschool - Douglas St, Little Orchard Preschool Douglas St 2, Waiapu Kids - St Georges, Matariki Early Childhood Centre, Coastlands Preschool

Little Orchard Preschool - Douglas Street 3, Little Sprouts Montessori Pre-School, The Tree House, Little Orchard Preschool Alexander Street, Little Orchard Preschool - McGarvey Road 2, Little Orchard Preschool - McGarvey Road 1, Ohope Beach Montessori Preschool, Te Waipuna Ariki o Matangireia, Pohutukawa Preschool, A Kidz World Home Based Childcare & Education Service, Nga Rito Homebased Childcare, Waiapu Kids - Homebased Bay of Plenty, Bizzy Buddyz Ltd, Bizzy Buddyz (2), Waiapu Kids - Homebased Bay of Plenty, Edubase In-home Childcare, Bizzy Buddyz (3), Play Homebased Early Childhood Education, and all Kohanga Reo and kindergartens in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Thames and Coromandel schools: Coromandel Area School, Colville School, Coroglen School, Hikuai, Hikutaia, Karangahake, Mercury Bay Area, Opoutere, Te Rerenga, Whenuakite, Waikino, Whangamata Area, Tairua, Moanatairi, Parawai, Tapu, Matatoki, Thames South School, Puriri School, St Francis Catholic School, Thames High School, Te Puru, Te Wharekura o Manaia and TKKM o Harataunga.

Thames and Coromandel ECEs: A Fun Place To Be Childcare, Barnardos KidStart Childcare - Turua/Hauraki Early Learning Centre, Colville Bay Early Learning Centre Inc, Coromandel Community Preschool, First Steps Whangamata, Kauri Learners Early Education, Kuaotunu Kindergarten, Mercury Bay Preschool, Milly's Educare Limited, Peanuts Childcare & Education Centre, Pukekos Educare Thames, Rainbow Connection Childcare, Rainbow Cottage, Riverlee Early Learning Centre, Rose's Montessori, Sealey Street Childcare, Thames Coast Community Kindergarten Inc, Thames Early Childhood Education Centre, Whenuakite Country Kids, Central Kids Kindergartens – Tairua, Central Kids Kindergartens – Thames, Central Kids Kindergartens - Mercury Bay, Coromandel Playcentre, Tairua Playcentre, Thames/Parawai Playcentre, Turua Playcentre, Whangamata Playcentre, Whitianga Playcentre, Te Kōhanga Reo o Kapanga, Te Kōhanga Reo o Matai Whetu,

Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Tonga o Hoterini, Puriri Playgroup and Thames Baptist Churches Ministries Playgroup.

Frankin area, Great Barrier and Waiheke schools: Clevedon School, Brookby School, Orere Point School, Kaiaua School, Maraetai Beach School, Beachlands School, Hunua School, Kaitoke School, Okiwa School, Mulberry Grove School, Waiheke Primary School, Waiheke High School and Te Huruhi School.

Franklin area, Great Barrier and Waiheke ECEs: Fossil Bay Kindergarten, Kawakawa Bay Kindergarten, Tots on The Rock, Clevedon Kidz Early Childhood Centre, Clevedon Kindergarten, Aotea Island Playcentre, Kaiwaka Playcentre, Small Pukeko's Early Learning Centre, Kawakawa Playcentre, Te Kōhanga Reo o Kawakawa, Te Mirumiru Early Childhood Education Centre, Waiheke Community Childcare Centre, Beginnings Early Learning Centre, Piritahi Childcare, Waiheke Island Kindergarten, Waiheke Island Playcentre and Hunua Playcentre.

Voluntary Closures - Western Bay of Plenty

Western Bay of Plenty: Te Kura O Matapihi, Greenpark School, Greerton Village School, Kaimai School, Oropi School, Pongakawa School, Selwyn Ridge, Tauranga Primary School, Tauranga Waldorf School,Te Puna School, Tauriko School, Welcome Bay School, Greerton Early Childhood Centre (Infants and Toddlers), Greerton Early Childhood Centre (Toddlers and Young Children)

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3 comments

GOLDEN SANDS PAPAMOA

Posted on 13-04-2017 07:31 | By Shocking!

GOLDEN SANDS Primary is also closed


Papamoa College Closed too

Posted on 13-04-2017 07:41 | By Shocking!

Its just gone up on the website


What a shambles

Posted on 13-04-2017 08:03 | By astex

I was already on the way to school with the kid when this was announced. There were already school buses full of kids on the road and probably many parents already at work needing to go home. Kudos to eastern bay for calling it early but western bay got it all wrong.


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