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4/12/2025
David Farrar
[FYI request #32905 email]
Tēnā koe David
OIA: GEMS-45828 – Applications from Contributing Primary Schools to become Full
Primary Schools
Thank you for your email of 18 November 2025 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry)
requesting the following information:
I am seeking information on applications by Contributing Primary Schools to become Full
Primary Schools over the last ten years. Specifically I would like to know:
1. How many applications by a Contributing Primary School to become a Full Primary
School has it received from 2015 to 2024.
2. How many of those applications were approved, and declined.
3. When they were declined, the reasons they were declined (if they can be easily
grouped together)
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) and numbered
for administrative ease.
Regarding
parts one and two of your request, please see
Table A in
Appendix A below.
Recapitation is the term used by the Ministry for a contributing primary school (Year 1-6) becoming
a full primary school (Year 1-8). Please note the table does not include all applications, as some
might have been withdrawn before a decision on approval needed to be made. There were no
applications received in 2018, 2020 and 2023.
Regarding
part three of your request, please see
Table B in
Appendix A below.
Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five working days. Your name and
contact details will be removed.
Thank you again for your email.
Wellington National Office, 1 The Terrace, Levels 5 to 14, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140, DX SR51201 Phone: +64 4 463 8000
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Nāku noa, nā
Stephanie Ramirez
General Manager, Network & Regulatory
Te Mahau | Te Pae Aronui (Operations and Integration)
REF: GEMS-45828
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Appendix A
Table A: The number of recapitation applications processed and their outcomes, for contributing
primary schools where a decision was made between 2015 and 2024.
Year
Approval Status
Total
2015
Approved
3
Declined
1
Total
4
2016
Approved
0
Declined
2
Total
2
2017
Approved
1
Declined
0
Total
1
2019
Approved
3
Declined
0
Total
3
2021
Approved
0
Declined
2
Total
2
2022
Approved
3
Declined
0
Total
3
2024
Approved
4
Declined
0
Total
4
Grand Total
19
REF: GEMS-45828
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Table B: Reasons for declining the five applications for recapitation of contributing primary schools
where a decision was made between 2015 and 2024. Note the reasons for declining a recapitation
are considered as whole when making a decision.
School
Reasons for declining the recapitation
School 1
• There was already an established Year 7-13 pathway in the area.
• Poor achievement data.
• The effect it would have had on the local Intermediate school.
• If approved, other contributing primary schools would recapitate
causing further impact to the schooling network.
School 2
• There was already an established Year 7-13 pathway in the area
with sufficient capacity within the schooling network.
• This change would have negatively affected local schools.
• Opposition from consulted school boards.
School 3
• There was already an established Year 7-13 pathway in the area
with sufficient capacity within the schooling network.
• This change would have negatively affected local schools.
• There was population decline in the area.
School 4
• There was already an established Year 7-13 pathway in the area.
• This change would have negatively affected local schools.
• If approved, other contributing primary schools would recapitate
causing further impact to the schooling network.
School 5
• There was already an established Year 7-13 pathway in the area.
• Opposition from consulted school boards.
• If approved, other contributing primary schools would recapitate
causing further impact to the schooling network.
REF: GEMS-45828
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