The Rudolf Steiner School in Motueka has launched an ambitious project to build a new school within three years.
school, one of only three Steiner schools in the South Island, is now in the former Phyllis Moffatt Memorial Hospital building on High St, which is on land leased from the Office of Treaty Settlements.
The lease expires in three years, and the newly appointed development manager for the project, Peter Garlick, said the building and its rooms were becoming too small for the expanding school.
It now has 60 pupils but has consent for 80, and some of its senior classes are full. That has meant having to turn away some families, said Mr Garlick, although places are available in the play group, kindergarten and most lower school classes.
The school has been planning a move for about two years, but the project has taken on increased urgency with the appointment of Mr Garlick for 20 hours a week.
He said the school was open to different solutions to its space constraints but the most likely scenario was to buy land in a rural setting near Motueka and build a new school. A working biodynamic garden as part of the school is on the wish list.
He said no budget had yet been set for the project but that the school would be fundraising, tapping into the global Steiner movement as well as throughout New Zealand.
About a third of the school roll is made up of families who have moved to Motueka to attend a Steiner school and Mr Garlick said an expanded school was likely to see that ratio rise.
The school is planning to build a facility that could accommodate a roll of 100 to 120 pupils.
A new building would also give the school the option of integrating into the state system, which would make it more affordable for families.
The independent school is registered with the Ministry of Education but the state of its present building prevents integration.
Families are asked for a contribution of $5000 a year to attend the school, although a bursary is available to qualifying families.
There are 10 Steiner schools in New Zealand and Mr Garlick said most of them were full, meaning that a bigger school would be likely to draw families to Motueka.
Each school is owned by the parent community and run by the teachers, meaning the school had a lot of freedom in how the building project was designed.
He said the goal was to make the project "as local as possible and as environmentally friendly as possible".
"Schools all over the world are adopting green programmes and trying to be more holistic in their teaching," Mr Garlick said.
These ideals have always been part of Steiner education. We are building an inspirational school to meet this growing demand for a wider view of education."
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