01/09/2026
Important for our whānau
Yesterday, the new partially funded school bus started.
And for the families who can finally put their children on a bus again, that is genuinely good news.
But we can't stop the conversation there.
Because right now, this funding only takes us to 6 November.
What happens after that?
What happens next year?
What happens for the rural families who are still without a workable transport option?
Earlier this year, long-standing school transport was removed from rural communities across our area. Families have spent months rearranging work, driving hundreds of extra kilometres, organising carpools and trying to find ways to get their children to school.
Temporary funding gives some families breathing room.
It does not solve the underlying problem.
The Ministry of Education is reviewing school transport, but rural families need more than another internal process. We need to know what has been learned, what is going to change, and how the impact on the families affected is actually being considered.
Most importantly, we need a plan for 2027 and beyond.
To those who have the ability to influence what happens next: please don't let a temporary solution become the end of this conversation.
We are grateful for what has been restored.
But we expect more.
Rural families need certainty.
And we won't let them be forgotten.
