Working together to keep tamariki safe

Road changes have made it safer for Te Kauwhata students, says the local primary school. 

Last year, Te Kauwhata Primary School contacted Waikato District Council because they had safety concerns about Wira Street, where parents drop off and pick up their children.

The mix of buses, cars and children was dangerous, says Principal Brian Martin. “We had a few misses with children crossing the busy road in front of buses.”

The school roll has increased from 298 children in 2024 to 360 so there were more children and more cars. The road was very narrow, which made it difficult for buses turning into the street.

“Every morning our staff would put out cones to allow the buses to turn into the street without clipping parked cars. Often, cars would double park or stop in the middle of the street because there weren’t enough car parks. The angled car parks were really tight and cars had to reverse back out onto the street, where children were crossing.” 

Council worked with the school to understand the issues and suggested relocating the bus stop to Mahi Road as a possible solution. The school worked with the bus operator to move the bus stop, and Council was then able to create a new pick up / drop off area. Council also moved the crossing so that it is directly opposite the school entry. 

The changes were made in February and, since then, it has been much safer, says Brian. 

“Our parents have been very accommodating with the change and the new pick-up and drop-off zone is working well. It has made a huge difference. There is now less traffic on Wira Street, and students can funnel out one gate and cross at the crossing.” 

Brian says there has also been no damage to vehicles since the road was altered. 

Janette Underwood, Council’s Road Safety and Traffic Engineer, says moving the bus stop made it possible. “We were able to work together to find a solution that was suitable. Being able to separate the busses from the cars has made it so much safer. It meant we could use the bus stop area as a designated pick up/drop off zone. It also meant parks that had been blocked off by cones could be used again.” 

Changes also include new, bright coloured planter boxes. 

“The planter boxes had been used by Waipa District Council but were no longer needed,” says Janette. “We are very grateful that they gave them to us for free.”

Brian says they will be used by the students.

“We have around 30 kids involved in the Enviroschools programme so they will use them for planting.”

Enviroschools is an environmental action based programme where young people are empowered to design and lead sustainability projects in their schools. 

The school plans to put in a covered bus shelter for children to use while waiting for the buses.