HUNTLY MUM DEPLOYS MEASURING TAPE AT SCHOOL GATE, DEMANDS ZONE REDRAWN BY 3.15PM

A Huntly mother produced a builder's tape at the school gate on Wednesday and measured the distance between her letterbox and the in-zone boundary line. She concluded, loudly, that she was being done over by 6.2 metres.

The measurement took place at 2.58pm, in the minutes before pickup. This reporter attended following a tip-off from a parent who described the scene as "civilised, but only just."

Sharon Petrie, of Great South Road, told The Daily Yarn she had been "more than patient" with the Ministry. She said the boundary was drawn by "someone who has never driven a Rav4 in the rain." She produced the tape a second time for the photo. Her daughter, aged 8, waited in the car.

A second mother, who declined to be named on account of being on the PTA, said Mrs Petrie had been "building to this since Term 2." A WhatsApp group has already split into two smaller groups over the matter. A third parent said she "didn't want to get involved" and then spoke for eleven minutes.

A Ministry spokesperson said school zones were determined using GIS mapping and were "not subject to on-site amendment by ratepayers with tapes." Boundary queries, the spokesperson added, must be lodged in writing before the 2026 enrolment window.

As of 3.47pm, Mrs Petrie was still at the gate. The tape was still out. A Hilux had reversed over the end of it. She plans to return Thursday with a longer one.