FAQ
What is happening at the former Hato Pētera College?
Hato Pētera College closed in August 2018. The Catholic Diocese of Auckland is working closely with Hato Pētera whānau and the Kaumatua Group to restore the mauri of the old school site through a re-purposing project in the spirit of the Crown grant.
Hato Pētera has a proud history and tradition of supporting Māori through education. More than acreage, the old Hato Pētera College site is a taonga and it is now serving another generation in a new way as a community of hope and action. Currently, the site is being used by:
- Transformation Academy working with with youth to instil life skills and gain NZQA credits;
- Transitional housing (managed by De Paul House)
- Availability of sports fields for groups during the week and sports games on weekends
- Monthly Miha (Māori Catholic Liturgy).
What is the repurposing about?
An Interim Governance Group has been formed who are developing long-term outcomes focused on ways of using the site. As a first step we are developing a concept design for a Hāto Petera Precinct Plan. This will provide a top-level site plan for the repurposing and development of a new precinct that re-envisions the Crown grant providing vocational training, student/whānau housing and support in a culturally appropriate setting for rangatahi and their whānau. This plan will be used for consulting with the wider stakeholder group including Hāto Petera whanau. We anticipate that the first project will be to re-purpose education buildings at Hato Pētera for post-secondary training in vocation training.
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland as the landowner and his team (including Vicar Manuel Beazley and GM James van Schie) are working with members of the Hato Pētera whānau: Dr Lance O’Sullivan, Norm McKenzie, Janice Smith, Murray Painting, Peter Martin, Geremy Hema, Helen Te Hira and Bobby Newson. This group is supported by the Kaumatua Group. When making decisions we seek a unanimous position from attendees at hui, after opportunity to consult with a wider group prior to hui.
What's happening now?
In December we had a Miha and hui to return Hato Pētera taonga to the site. A hui-a-whānau is being planned to engage around the re-purposing project. Monthly updates will be published on Hato Pētera social media pages and through newsletters of Te Unga Waka, Whaiora Marae Otara, Hato Pētera and Hato Hohepa Waitaruke.
What's not happening?
The site is not for sale.