New Specialist School To Fill Long-Standing Gap In GisborneHon Erica StanfordMinister of EducationA new specialist school for students with complex needs in Gisborne will open in the next two years, the first of its kind in the region, Education Minister Erica Stanford announced today. Currently, there is no specialist school serving Gisborne, Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti region. Alongside the base specialist school, an extra two satellite teaching spaces will be provided on the shared school site of Te Wharau School and Ilminster Intermediate School, Inner Kaiti, Gisborne. Today’s announcement brings that to three new specialist schools, we are also upgrading six existing specialist schools. This includes the establishment of Gisborne Specialist School, as well as the earlier announced specialist schools in Palmerston North and Drury, South Auckland.