The Alexandra Kindergarten committee has conceded defeat after losing a vote which determined the future of Central Otago's seven kindergartens.
Voters this week approved a merger between the Central Otago Kindergarten Association (Coka) and the Canterbury Westland Kindergarten Association, trading as Kidsfirst.
Coka will wind up next month and its kindergartens will be operated by Kidsfirst from the start of next year.
The Alexandra committee had reservations about the proposed merger and highlighted its concerns about several aspects, including the lack of other options on the table and the future of the respective kindergartens' assets, should Kidsfirst ever become insolvent or wind up.
Coka promoted the merger, saying it was in the best long-term interest of Central Otago kindergartens. Coka board chairman Matt Parker, of Queenstown, said the special general meeting this week was attended by all but two Coka members eligible to vote.
The vote was carried out by secret ballot and was 19-7 in favour of the merger - ''a conclusive result which we are really pleased about'', he said.
''The Coka board would like to congratulate the membership on making a courageous decision that we feel will ensure the ongoing excellence of kindergartens in our communities.''
Alexandra kindergarten committee president Philippa Helm said her committee was ''disappointed, but we accept the majority has definitely spoken''.
''We have to accept the association is merging and we're not taking things any further. The vote is done and we've exhausted our options,'' she said. The Otago Daily Times
understands one of the options explored before the vote was the possibility of the Alexandra committee withdrawing from membership of Coka.
The vote had been delayed for seven weeks while the Central Otago association considered ''offers'' from two other neighbouring associations, Southland and Dunedin. In September, the chairmen of those associations said a newspaper story alerted them to the proposal.
A merger with their associations was another option which should be considered, they said. In a statement following this week's vote, Mr Parker said Kidsfirst had been managing the Coka kindergartens for the past two years and providing teaching and learning support to staff for the past year.
''We've been able to achieve fantastic results, including turning around the association's financial position and having four kindergartens joining the other three in receiving really positive ERO [Eduction Review Office] reviews. We look forward to that success continuing.''
Although the head office of Kidsfirst was not in Central Otago ''our kindergartens are and it's what happens at kindergarten each day that's important,'' Mr Parker said.
