Earlier in the term, we contacted parents and the wider community to comment on proposed changes to the School Hopper bus network. The impact of proposed changes to this network potentially would have a large negative impact on transport options for students. The response from our Aquinas College Community has been fantastic. We had over 100 submissions to the Drive Change Consultation, Christina Nicolaas contributed to Council meetings with her Y13 Sociology Class, Lee-Ann Taylor spoke on behalf of the school and a number of members of the school community added their signatures to the petition submitted to the council.

Unprecedented public response to the proposed new bus networks for mid-2018 has resulted in the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Public Transport Committee recommending that changes don’t occur as soon as originally planned.  Following meetings with schools and stakeholder groups, further recommendations will be presented to the full Council in September. Keep a lookout for an updates at www.drivechange.co.nz in July.

There is still work to be done to ensure that we are part of the consultation and our voice is heard through this process. A working group has been set up with representatives from Aquinas College, St Mary’s and St Thomas More Boards of Trustees.

Thank you to all those who have contributed to this process so far.