Parents in a Manawatū town have to pay fares on school buses that were free until a few weeks agoBuses from Ashhurst to Palmerston North are now run by the regional council, rather than Ministry of EducationParents are unhappy about the change, but the ministry says its reviewed compliance with its rules.
Parents of several hundred school children in the Manawatū town of Ashhurst are having to dip into their pockets for school buses to Palmerston North from Monday, as the new term begins.
Ratepayers are also stumping up for the services, which were previously funded solely by the Ministry of Education.
The change comes after the ministry reviewed routes into the town and found many children were not complying with its rules, although these rules were not enforced for decades.
Parents stumping up for school bus services after MOE pulls funding
Checkpoint
Families feel ‘desperate and not heard’
Tania Allanson – who dropped her daughter off at the Ashhurst bus stop on Monday morning – said it had been a stressful year since the ministry announced it would stop funding the buses.
This would have left up to 300 school children in Ashhurst scrambling to get to their Palmerston North high schools.
Tania Allanson says the ministry decision to stop funding buses has caused stress for families.
RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
There is no college in the town, and locals remember being told decades ago when plans were scrapped for one that instead families could rely on free buses to high schools in the city, 10 minutes away.
That was until the end of last term, when ministry-funded services stopped.
“It’s left us very desperate and not heard, and it’s putting our children’s education at risk, ultimately,” Allanson said.
She was also unhappy that the ministry still funded buses for students to attend special character schools, such as religious colleges.
Ministry rules say that to be eligible for a bus, children must go to their closest school and not have public transport available.
There are public buses between Ashhurst and Palmerston North, but they are only capable of handling a fraction of the numbers required to get the town’s children to school.
So Horizons Regional councillors voted to part-fund the services for the next 12 months, after initial votes failed, when the ministry made it clear it would stop providing buses in the middle of this year.
“I am pleased that Horizons have come to the party, but they shouldn’t have had to,” Allanson said.
That was echoed by fellow parent Chris Love, who was one of the leading voices pushing for services for Ashhurst.
“I do worry that it sets a bit of a precedent for the rest of the country, where the ministry can roll this responsibility on to regional councils,” she said.
She said it was coming at the same time as regional councils faced an uncertain futures and were being told to keep rates down.
But – for now – she was happy with the new arrangements.
“We would have carpooled. That was our second option. But with 300 kids in the village that was going to take a lot of co-ordination.
“I’ve maintained this from the beginning – it would have been traffic chaos getting out of Ashhurst at 9am. Our roads and our routes into Palmerston North aren’t meant to be handling that much traffic.”
After looking at about 250 of its 1400 bus routes around New Zealand, the ministry paused changes in March while it reviewed its travel policy.
However, it will not undo changes already made, including in Ashhurst, to much chagrin in the town.
Palmerston North Girls’ High School year 9 student Astasia Pene-Patu summed up the local feeling.
“I feel like it should be free. I don’t think we should have to pay to go to school, because we’re already paying for our education. I just think it’s unfair.”
Fares on the new services are $1.30 each way, capped at $10.40 a week.
Search for a funding partner
Council transport services manager Mark Read said for the coming 12 months it and the ministry were paying about $150,000 each for the buses, while the remaining $100,000 would be recouped in fares.
The ministry’s contribution ended after a year, so Horizons was looking at what to do from the middle of 2027.
Mark Read says Horizons is looking for a funding partner to continue to buses next year.
RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
On Monday, there were five buses heading to different schools. Demand would be regularly assessed.
“Really, it’s continue the service or not continue the service, to a certain extent.
“The Ministry of Education has certainly made it clear that they’re keen for Horizons to see it continue under our remit, so it will be up to [the] council to be able to make that decision, alongside our co-funding partners.
“Hopefully NZTA will be able to step in and pick up that 50 percent that the ministry are currently funding.”
Horizons chairwoman Councillor Nikki Riley said she hoped the ministry review of its transport policy – the first in years – was thorough.
Even when other councillors had opposed funding the Ashhurst service, she voted for it.
“I’m a mum. I wanted my kids to get to school and get educated and not having a bus service when you’ve got 300 kids that need it, I thought was just silly.”
Horizons chairwoman Nikki Riley says she’s supportive of the council funding the buses if it means children can get to school.
RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
Ministry says town’s children not eligible
Ministry group manager for school transport James Meffan said students in Ashhurst were not eligible for ministry-funded buses because they were either not attending their closest school or had access to public transport.
“While the ministry’s eligibility criteria do not include assessing the capacity of public transport networks, we work closely with regional councils when reviewing our school bus services,” he said.
“We have worked extensively with Horizons Regional Council since April 2024.”
The ministry was part funding to the services for another 12 months to help minimise disruption.
Meffan said the pause earlier this year on changes did not include routes around Palmerston North, as those reviews finished late last year.
“During the policy review, schools are still able to request reviews of their school bus services if there are changes in the number or location of eligible students.
“These requests will be assessed on a case-by-case basis,” he said.
The decision to stop its funded buses had left a sour taste.
Albie Brown, who on Monday dropped of his two sons on the bus headed to Palmerston North Boys’ High School, said he was “pissed off” by the decision.
Diana Breen – dropping of her son for his bus heading to Freyberg High School in Palmerston North – praised the regional council for taking on the services, but was unhappy about what had happened.
“It sucks, but it is what it is. I can’t believe that they’ve taken away our buses.”