Petition for Queenstown charter school
Plans for Queenstown's first charter school are well advanced with Manawaroa Education aiming to secure government funding.
The school, which will absorb Queenstown's Liger Leadership Academy, would cater to 250 pupils, providing an alternative to Wakatipu High School. WHS is expected to reach capacity by around 2027, and plans for a second high school on Ladies Mile are on the back burner.
“Queenstown is perfect for a charter school and we have the resources to create one at speed," Manawaroa Education director Katherine Allsopp-Smith says.
Manawaroa Education, which opened the AGE (Academy for Gifted Education) School in Auckland eight years ago, plans to establish charter schools in Auckland, Upper Hutt, Christchurch and Queenstown.
It is one of 78 organisations competing for a share of Government funding. Some $153 million has been set aside in this year's budget with the aim of backing 15 new charter schools and the conversion of 35 state schools.
Led by Act leader and Associate Education Minister David Seymour, the Coalition Government is reinstating the charter school model across NZ. They have more autonomy than state schools, including over curriculum and the buildings they operate from, but must fulfil a performance-based contract with the Ministry of Education.
Manawaroa Education director Katherine Allsopp-Smith
Allsopp-Smith says the charter school will bring more personalised education options to the basin, focused on a tech-led future, educational excellence and holistic student development.
It will be open to children across the region, regardless of economic background.
Manawaroa Education has started a petition so Queenstown residents can show their support for the plans to establish the school. It will be included in the charter school submission to the Government.
And the organisation has this week been gifted the Liger Leadership Academy learning model licence, by founders Trevor and Agnieszka Gile, which means the Liger curriculum and assets will be assimilated into the future school.
"We always intended to gift our unique Liger Learning model back to this community and hopefully other communities in New Zealand," Agnieszka Tynkiewicz-Gile says.
"To have the opportunity to gift it towards the development of Queenstown’s first charter school, so that it is affordable and available to all, regardless of economic background, would be the best possible outcome."
The Giles, who won the Spirit of the Wakatipu Education Award on Saturday for making an outstanding contribution to education, established the Liger Leadership Academy model over a decade ago, aiming to encourage critical thinking and foster socially conscious future leaders.
Liger Leadership Academy founders Trevor and Agnieszka Gile
Its Cambodian academy was recognised as one of the world's top 100 most innovative schools, with more than 80% of graduates receiving full scholarships to top universities. Like Queenstown, the Giles gifted the national licence to the American University of Phnom Penh earlier this year, and it is now owned and operated by Cambodians.
The Queenstown Liger Leadership Academy opened as an independent school in 2021, with all students receiving either a full or partial scholarship. It has 39 students, based in premises in Frankton's Five Mile.
"We are a startup school so it’s a natural evolution for us to find a partner to continue with our vision. Manawaroa Education’s plans for tech-enabled schools that specialise in inquiry, feed into our model beautifully and can take our curriculum to a broader, national community,” Agnieszka says.
But for now, school continues as usual at the Liger Leadership Academy. The Giles have committed to continuing to sponsor it next year and are personally gifting 10 full scholarships for new students who register to enrol for 2025.
"We have kept our students and families informed throughout this process and we’ve ensured that if and when the charter school opens they will be among its first students. We have already begun several student-led projects to plan the fit-out and design of a new charter school. We would really appreciate it if the community could help make the charter school a reality by showing their support for the proposal,” Agnieszka says.
The location of the proposed Manawaroa Education charter school, although the new $45m Queenstown Research and Innovation Centre in Remarkables Park and the Coronet Village development on Malaghans Rd are potential locations.
