Parents can shape the foundation and the future of the proposed $14 million Shotover Primary School by talking to the school's new establishment board of trustees this week.
Chairwoman Sally Mingaye-Hall and trustees will be available for discussion at hour-long public sessions at the Queenstown Events Centre on November 20 at 10am, which children can attend, and at 7pm.
''We want to engage the likely parents in the community who will be involved in Shotover Primary,'' Ms Mingaye-Hall said.
''We'll be looking at Lake Hayes Estate, Quail Rise Estate, rural areas, as well as Shotover Country residents.
''They are invited to the sessions to find out what they want from their school and for their children.''
The consultation required by the Ministry of Education will begin with an overview by Ms Mingaye-Hall of the school and its vision.
Parents will be encouraged to imagine scenarios their children would encounter and help decide what should happen. Feedback will shape focus groups on topics such as diversity and pre-schools, to be held by the board before Christmas.
''Ideas will be incorporated into the vision statement which becomes the core values for the school to grow from,'' Ms Mingaye-Hall said.
Last November, Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Minister Craig Foss announced 3.5ha of land in the middle of the 120ha Shotover Country development had been secured for a new school.
Construction depended on the timeframes of the ministry and its contractors, once ministry officials finalised plans, but building could begin in mid-2014.
Aecom is the lead architectural firm with a track record in school design.
Frequency is the Auckland based project management company.
The proposed state-integrated primary school for years 1-8 is due for a staged opening from early 2015, hopefully in term one, Ms Mingaye-Hall said.
At stage one, the school will comprise 20 classroom spaces, administration, library and multipurpose hall, accommodating about 450 pupils.
At stage two, eight more classrooms will be added, to accommodate about 650 pupils, with room to expand.
The single-storey school will be environmentally friendly, equipped with the latest information technology and designed using Wakatipu materials, in sympathy with the natural environment.
''We're not intending to poach pupils or teachers from other schools,'' Ms Mingaye-Hall said.
The site for the school is located on a corner of Stalker Rd and what will become Jones Ave, a link road, path and cycleway between Shotover Country and Lake Hayes Estate, which means pupils and residents will not have to travel between the two suburbs via the busy 100kmh zoned Ladies Mile highway.
The establishment board was formed about a month ago.
Ms Mingaye-Hall's background is in tertiary education. Of the other trustees, Frederique Gulcher-Ingram is experienced in communications, Fiona McArthur has a background in conferences, health and disabled welfare, Mark Nickolls is experienced in property and is related to the Stalker family developing Shotover Country, Kevin Orlowski is a former principal of Wakatipu High School, Darren Rewi is the board's liaison with runanga and a former establishment board member of Remarkables Primary School, and Paul Ferris is the ministry-appointed governance facilitator.
Trustees meet weekly and among their tasks is setting the criteria to appoint the first Shotover Primary School principal in February next year.
