Mahurangi Christian school sale likely

The school’s owner, the Snells Beach Baptist Church, has accepted an offer from the Kingsway Trust, which founded KingsWay School in Orewa.

The agreement is yet to be finalised, but it is understood the trust will purchase the land and NZ Christian Proprietors Trust (NZCPT) will become the new proprietor, in charge of determining its Christian character.

Trust chair and NZCPT member Vaughan Darby says it is likely an agreement will be finalised this school term.

The boundaries between Snells Beach Baptist Church and the school have to be redefined, which requires a consent from Auckland Council and is likely to take a couple of months, he says.

The school has 65 pupils. It opened in 1991 and became a state integrated school in 1996 with Mahurangi Baptist Charitable Trust as proprietor.

In state-integrated schools, the buildings and land are privately owned. The school still teaches the public curriculum, but it is permitted to have a “special character”, such as a religious focus, which is determined by the school’s proprietor.

Mahurangi Baptist Charitable Trust chair Rob Jensen says the school has been run by volunteers since it formed and it would benefit from greater resourcing and a professional approach.

“NZCPT have a good track record in providing for the needs of Christian schools. The church has done what it can to get it up and running. For the development of the school, it’s time for it to leave its home.”

Mr Jensen says the running of the school will not substantially change, and the principal and board of trustees will remain.

NZCPT is a national organisation founded by members of Kingsway Christian School in 2006. According to its website, it is now proprietor of six schools from Whangarei to Queenstown.

School principal Helen Pearson was the founding principal of KingsWay School in 1986 and is a member of NZCPT.