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Wednesday <strong>April</strong> <strong>10</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
BAY HARBOUR<br />
PAGE 25<br />
WITH MARY IN FAITH<br />
TĀTOU KO MERE E WHAKAPONO ANA<br />
A NEW MARIAN COLLEGE FOR 2023<br />
MESSAGE FROM<br />
THE BOARD<br />
The Marian College Board is pleased<br />
to share the Bishop’s decision to<br />
relocate Marian College to north west<br />
Christchurch on a three hectare site.<br />
Our new College will neighbour St<br />
Joseph’s Primary School on land<br />
bordered by Vagues Road, Main North<br />
Road and Northcote Road, with the main<br />
entrance off Lydia Street.<br />
The new school is projected to cost in<br />
excess of $20 million and students are<br />
expected to start in February 2023.<br />
The Bishop said finding a new home for<br />
Marian College has always been one of<br />
his main priorities. The purchase of the<br />
former Foodstuffs warehouse property on<br />
Northcote Road has made this possible.<br />
He indicated scoping and design work<br />
will begin ready for when possession of<br />
the land takes place in <strong>April</strong> 2021.<br />
The news is exciting and very positive<br />
for Marian College and the changes are<br />
going to further strengthen and grow our<br />
Catholic community.<br />
Thank you to the Bishop on behalf of<br />
Marian College for his commitment to<br />
our future, and to the Catholic Diocese<br />
of Christchurch for its steady support<br />
over the years.<br />
The Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, Paul<br />
Martin and Marian College Principal Mary-<br />
Lou Davidson visiting Marian College’s<br />
new Papanui site.<br />
Thank you also to our school community<br />
for your loyalty and patience and to all<br />
the schools, businesses and communities<br />
who have supported Marian since the<br />
earthquakes. It means a lot to us.<br />
We look forward to the challenges the<br />
next four years bring us and to having<br />
closer working relationships with St<br />
Joseph’s School Papanui and our brother<br />
school St Bede’s College.<br />
Tātou ko Mere e whakapono ana<br />
With Mary in faith<br />
Jan Paterson<br />
Marian College Board of Trustees Chair<br />
SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED<br />
What will the new school look like?<br />
It is too early to say just yet. What we do know is that we intend to ensure the Catholic<br />
special character, values, heritage and story of Marian is incorporated and reflected in our<br />
new school’s grounds and buildings. While we are fortunate to be getting a new school –<br />
the heart of Marian College will remain the same.<br />
Our new Forde Block (Social Sciences and Careers), which opened at the beginning<br />
of this year, combines the best of traditional and open-plan classroom settings within a<br />
multi-functional and sound-proof learning environment. So far, the feedback from students<br />
and teachers has been positive, so it’s likely our new school will have similarly designed<br />
classrooms.<br />
Will there be opportunities for input into the new school?<br />
Yes. We will be engaging with our school community and gathering ideas in coming<br />
months.<br />
Why is it taking until 2023 to get a new school?<br />
The newly purchased site is currently tenanted and the lease expires in 2021. The Catholic<br />
Diocese of Christchurch will then take possession of the land. In the meantime, there will<br />
be valuable time for consultation, scoping and design work, before construction starts.<br />
Will travel to and from the new school be more difficult?<br />
Our new site is conveniently located on main arterial roads including QEII Drive and the<br />
ring road to Eastern and seaside suburbs, Main North Road through to North Canterbury<br />
as well as the Orbiter bus route. Connecting cycleways include the Papanui Parallel<br />
Cycleway, Northern Line Cycleway and QEII Shared Cycleway.<br />
By the time our new school is ready, the Christchurch Northern Corridor will be open. It is<br />
expected this road will significantly reduce traffic volumes on Main North Road – by up to<br />
50 per cent. It will also create an opportunity for the city council to make changes to Main<br />
North Road resulting in improved public transport journey times.<br />
Access to transport is an important part of our planning. We are confident that our families<br />
will have suitable transport options for students travelling from more than 30 of our feeder<br />
primary schools - families living in Central and East Christchurch, the seaside suburbs and<br />
North Canterbury.<br />
My daughter is currently a senior student at Marian – will she feel left out?<br />
A wonderful aspect of Marian College is how supportive and understanding our school<br />
community is through periods of change. We often say: “once a Marian girl, always a<br />
Marian girl”. Marian College will be making every effort to include all students in the<br />
shaping of our new school - regardless of whether they will be attending. We are asking<br />
past students and staff of Marian College and also our founding schools St Mary’s College<br />
(Christchurch) and McKillop College, to provide valuable input into what the new school<br />
will look like.<br />
Register on the school website www.mariancollege.school.nz/About-1/Past-StudentsStaff<br />
to be kept up-to-date.<br />
We welcome your questions<br />
Please check the school website and follow us on Facebook. If we haven’t answered<br />
what you need to know – email exec@mariancollege.school.nz and we will respond to<br />
your question as soon as possible.<br />
Left: Indicative location of the new Marian<br />
College site in Papanui.<br />
Above and below:<br />
Marian College students and staff respond<br />
to the wonderful news.<br />
Haere mai! Talofa lava!<br />
Welcome!<br />
You are invited to<br />
Marian College<br />
For more details visit<br />
mariancollege.school.nz<br />
facebook.com/mariancollegechch<br />
www.mariancollege.school.nz |03 385 8449 | exec@mariancollege.school.nz | follow us! www.facebook.com/mariancollegechch
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