Te Puke High School principal Alan Liddle is making a bid to have the township's domain fields transferred to the school for use in physical education.

Te Puke High School principal Alan Liddle. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

At present the school's sports fields are located at Litt Park, about 800 metres south of the school on Tui Street.

Whereas the Te Puke Domain, owned by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, is located directly in front of the school.

During this week's WBOPDC's annual plan hearings, Alan proposed that the Ministry of Education purchase the domain from the council, or swap the larger Litt Park for the domain off Beatty Ave.

'This is just the beginning. This is the starting point for an ongoing discussion with the council, the Ministry of Education and ourselves,” says Alan.

'To me, it seems like we could make better use of the fields for the school, for Te Puke and the community.”

The Ministry currently pays a lease to council for the school's use of the domain during school hours, but it's not used to its capacity, says Alan.

The school site is adjacent to the domain's top field, and the lower field beside Queen St, and between Cameron Rd and Beatty Ave, contains the community netball courts and the Te Puke cricket wicket.

'We just tend to use the top field of the domain,” says Alan.

The school fields are actually five minutes run up the road at Litt Park.

'If our physical education teachers want to take the kids out to our fields at Litt Park – to actually get the kids up the road, get changed and run them up the road, do what they need to do for the lesson and then run back – the lesson is only 30-35 minutes long.

'So as a result the school isn't using Litt Park as efficiently as it could.”

The first option proposed is for the MOE to buy the domain and transfer management and maintenance of it to the high school. The grounds and courts will still be available for community sport, says Alan.

'All I have done at the moment is mooted the idea of better use of the two fields and getting the council to consider a couple of different options. They might come up with some options we would be happy to discuss as well,” says Alan.

With the swap option, the council would become responsible for maintenance of Litt Park. The park is used for football, rugby and athletics. Netball courts are used by the community and school.

Alan doesn't know how the fields' use situation arose, but doesn't believe other schools have the same problem.

'I don't think there would be many schools in the same situation as us; where if you want to use your fields you have to go up the road.”

The route from Te Puke High School to Litt Park - a two minute drive, or 800 metre walk. The Domain is directly in front of the school.