A page banner promoting an article titled, "Parata rules out mergers".
A graphic for an article about Minister of Education Hekia Parata's visit to Christchurch schools.
A page banner promoting an article about Minister of Education Hekia Parata's visit to Christchurch schools.
The front page graphic for the Mainlander section of The Press. The main headline reads, "What drives Hekia Parata?".
A protest sign painted on a fence shows a bulldozer labelled "Govt." driven by a woman (presumably representing Education Minister Hekia Parata) running over a sheep labelled "Chch schools", next to the words "Every time you close a school you have to build a jail - Mark Twain." The photographer comments, "Due to the earthquakes in Christchurch and parents leaving the area to give their children a quieter and more education friendly life a lot of the local schools especially in the East of Christchurch are to be closed or amalgamated. This was a decision by the government without consultation with any other authorities. Mark Twain actually said 'Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail'".