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Labour's Te Tai Hauauru MP, Adrian Rurawhe, says the future of Turakina Maori Girls College in squarely in the hands of the government.
The Education Ministry has opened consultation on whether the school should close, and what can be done to fix the school premises and boarding facilities and increase the number of students.
Mr Rurawhe, who has a long association with the school, says the ministry is trying to load the problem onto the school community when its current plight is the result of many factors including government policy.
"Instead of blaming the school, we have to look at the whole area of Maori boarding schools because this could happen to other schools as well," he says.
Meanwhile, the Turakina board of trustees has completed the consultation required by the Minister and handed its report to the Ministry of Education.
It included proposals for improving governance, strengthening leadership and increasing the number of students, and asked for another round of consultation before a final decision is made about the future of the school.
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