Children have been walking across the Hinakura Rd landslide to get to their school bus. PHOTOS/FILE
The Ministry of Education [MoE] is working on solutions after reports arose that children have been walking across an active landslide on Hinakura Rd to catch a bus to school.
The short walk was treacherous, but the alternative route involved driving along Admiral Hill Rd, a trip that saw locals commuting up to two hours to reach Martinborough. The drive had previously taken about twenty minutes.
Hautu [Leader] Te Tai Runga [South] at MoE Nancy Bell said the ministry had allocated resources to allow for the continuation of learning for those affected by the slip.
“MoE staff have been involved in this issue as part of a wider service providers group responding to the landslide that’s closed Hinakura Road. The landslide impacts on nine primary-age students and several children attending early learning centres, secondary schools, and some teaching staff.
“We have provided additional learning resources to schools, to ensure learning continues uninterrupted. We’ve also provided funding to help with providing cover to schools for teachers who are impacted by the slip.
“We’re also working with the community and local council on what is the best school transport solution for the affected families.”
Bell said conveyance allowance payments were available to help with petrol costs.
However, the maximum daily rate for students was $4.72 per student per day or $23.60 per week.
“We are continuing to run services up to the slip for those families who have access past the slip via private land. The alternative route involves a significant diversion.
“To offset the expense of travelling along this alternate route, parents can apply for allowances to contribute towards additional costs.”
The allowance would be paid at the end of each quarter, once MoE had received the attendance report from the school for that term.
One parent said that the allowance was not enough, estimating that the extra driving distance was costing her $250 in fuel each week.
“It’s costing me up to $250 a week in petrol and I’m given $4 a day, so help with travel would be really good,” she said.
“People with younger children are having problems, child carers can’t get in and dropping people at day-care is difficult now.”
One proposed solution was to use funds from the Hinakura Rd Relief Fund to ease transport woes and provide residents with a petrol allowance, as well as providing help for workers travelling in and out of the area.
Another suggestion included using the fund to establish a temporary education centre at Hinakura Hall.
Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty said he had been down to the landslide and said the government had the means to provide more funding to help the community.
“The council can apply for funding through Waka Kotahi and once they do that it will probably be a very speedy process.
“But they haven’t done that yet and until they do, we can’t do anything.”
The council was working on a proposal to present to Waka Kotahi, which involved engaging with community members and deciding on a realignment option for the road.
