Analysis: the Papanui area will be impacted by proposed changes to zones and the capacity of Christchurch high schools arising from a review that aims to reduce out of zone enrolments across the city.
[Edit January 2020: see this article for details of the outcome for Papanui and Burnside High Schools, including their zones for 2020 and a further change planned for 2022.]
The school zone boundary between Burnside and Papanui High Schools is set to change – by 2022 the boundary is proposed to move closer towards Papanui. Some local families will subsequently find themselves zoned for a different school, and this could perhaps even impact property prices?
Burnside High School’s zone is proposed to increase, but the school’s roll is predicted to drop. Although a recent Stuff article claimed the roll could drop “from 2,500 to as few as 1,650 students” (Stuff, 11 March 2019), this seems to be a mis-reading of the Ministry of Education’s ‘case for change’ document.
The proposed future Burnside High School home zone encompasses around 1,650 students, and due to population growth this could be 1,800 by the year 2028. The proposed (but not yet finally determined) ‘build capacity’ for the school is 2,000.
It’s the ‘build capacity’ number that’s important – this is the proposed student capacity the school will have when the post-earthquake rebuild programme is complete. The school will likely top up with out of zone enrolments to that future proposed capacity of 2,000 (noting that this is still a drop from the July 2018 roll of 2,489 students).
Meanwhile at Papanui High School, the proposed (but not yet finally determined) ‘build capacity’ is 1,700, with a home zone population of 1,300, growing to 1,500 by the year 2028. The current roll (July 2018) is 1,558, so there is potential for modest roll growth in the coming years.
| School | Papanui High | Burnside High |
| 2018 roll | 1,558 | 2,489 |
| Approximate number of current out of zone students | 230 | 1,000 |
| Proposed build capacity | 1,700 | 2,000 |
| ‘Local demand’ after zone changes | 1,316 | 1,643 |
| Capacity* for out of zone students under proposed changes (current demographics) | 384+ | 357+ |
| Capacity* for out of zone students under proposed changes (year 2028) | 196+ | 207+ |
*Capacity for out of zone students will depend on how many in-zone students actually enrol at the school.
So the significant impacts on the Papanui area seem to be:
- Burnside High School out of zone enrolments likely to drop significantly
- Some families will find their ‘local’ school has changed
Find out more
Information, maps, and background documents can be found at http://shapingeducation.govt.nz/read-more-2/secondary-school-network-consultation
You can provide feedback through an online survey (consultation closes April 12)
Attend a public meeting: there will be one at Papanui High on 9 April (rescheduled, was originally planned for 25 March) and at Burnside High on 28 March. The full list of public meetings is:
- Wednesday 20th March, 7pm – 8pm at Hillmorton High School
Monday 25th March, 7pm – 8pm at Papanui High School- Tuesday 26th March, 7pm – 8pm at Riccarton High School
- Thursday 28th March, 7pm – 8pm at Burnside High School
- Tuesday 2nd April, 7pm – 8pm at Linwood College
- Thursday 4th April, 6.30pm – 7.30pm at Mairehau High School
- New date: Tuesday 9th April 7pm – 8pm at Papanui High School
- Wednesday 10th April, 6pm – 7pm at Haeata Community Campus
Question for readers
How will the proposed zoning and roll changes impact you?
Simon Britten 