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BEATING vandalism by having his school as a community hub is the vision of Wainuiomata Primary School principal Neil Worboys (above).
“I’m wanting the school’s facilities to be used in the weekends,” he says, citing the field and playground as examples.
Property damage noted in a recent newsletter includes gate latches, rugby posts and the removal of a Maori carving that was given to the school.
Vandals have also emptied the school’s emergency water supply tank and etched graffiti into the windows, which cost more than $4000 to replace.
The school junior syndicate swimming presentations were delayed for a week while the damaged filter system was fixed.
“The problem isn’t bad at the moment, but we want to stop it before it does,” says Mr Worboys.
He wants to involve the community by having them use the grounds and keep an eye on them.
School neighbours have noticed people hanging around using the playground and field who may be causing problems.
Next-door neighbour Scott Thompson (pictured above right), who regularly takes his child to the school playground, says a couple of weeks ago someone tagged the road in front of his house.,.
Another neighbor Stephanie Ludlow has also noticed more people wandering round the school.
“You do see a lot of drunken teenagers wandering through,” she says.
However, she says it does not really affect her.
She does not use the school as a community hub at the moment, but definitely would in the future.
Mr Worboys says parents of pupils have been informed of the vandalism via the school newsletter, encouraging them to contact the school if they see any suspicious behaviour.
