A central King Country school will no longer have to close because of a lack of vaccinated teachers.
File image. Photo: 123RF
Matiere School principal Vanessa Gotz said the school of 44 children would shut for a teacher-only day on Tuesday and reopen on Wednesday with reduced staffing.
In the meantime, Gotz said the school had applied for an exemption from the vaccine mandate and was waiting to hear a decision from the Ministry of Education.
"If we don't get the exemption we've still got enough staff on site that are able to carry on," she said.
Gotz had previously told RNZ the school would not have any unvaccinated staff by the time the government's vaccine mandate took effect on Tuesday.
She would not say if she was vaccinated, but confirmed she was allowed to be on site at the school on Wednesday.
She said she would take two classes.
"I'm going to end up with a heavier workload. I think many, many principals especially in the rural sector, we're going to end up with having to double-up classes or we're going to end up having to do a lot more than we should be, or need to be really because of this," Gotz said.
"At this time of the year do we really need the pressure and the stress of all this. We really don't."
