• Mike Brown’s children hitchhike 45km after the rural bus service to Tamatea High School ended.
• Education Minister Erica Stanford says the family chose not to attend their local school.
• The situation has sparked debate on parental responsibility and school transport rules, with safety concerns raised.

Education Minister Erica Stanford says the family whose children are hitchhiking 45km to school has chosen not to attend their local education provider and “that is their decision”.

Today, the Herald revealed the story of Hawke’s Bay father Mike Brown, who’s resorted to the controversial method of getting his girl and boy to class after a rural bus service to Tamatea High School ended in 2024.

Brown wants his children to continue to travel to Tamatea High School’s te reo Māori immersion programme, but the ministry has told him multiple times it can no longer provide a bus, or a travel allowance, because it is not the closest state or state-integrated school to his home.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today confirmed he was aware of children hitchhiking to get to school.

“I read those reports this morning and I know Erica Stanford’s looking into it,” he said.

“I understand there’s a legislative process of looking at school transportation, school buses. The minister will work through it.”

But speaking to the Herald today, Stanford said the rules had not changed for “many, many, many decades”.

“If you choose to go to a different school that is not your local school, then the obligation to get your children to school are on you.

“That is their decision, but if that is the case, then... the obligation is on them to get their children to school, because if you could imagine we were bussing every child to school because they didn’t want to go to their local school, we’d be broke.”

Readers react

Brown’s story has generated a huge response online, with some calling him irresponsible while others believe the children are being unfairly discriminated against.

Commenters worried Brown’s decision would “come back to haunt him” if something were to happen to his kids in a stranger’s car.

Some blamed the father and said the rule had existed for many years and he should have to drive him or fork out for a private bus like many others do.

“Why can’t he drop them off? Family first. This dad is putting his kids in harm’s way.”

Others blamed the Government and called the Ministry of Education’s move to cut many rural bus routes “outrageous”.

“What about children’s safety. Nothing should stand in the way when it comes to education.”

One commenter suggested the father was at fault for sending his children to a school that was out of zone.

Chamon Brown, 15, and Laa Brown, 16, hitchhiking to Tamatea High School from SH2 after their school bus route was terminated at the end of 2024. Photo / Mike Brown

“My kids have no school bus from our house, due to the fact I choose to send them to a school outside of their school zone.

“That becomes my responsibility to see them get there and back safely.”

Others agreed with this sentiment but said school zoning was a separate issue that needed to be rectified.

“I don’t agree with it as we as parents should be able to choose the best education path for our children and sometimes that’s not our local (closest) school but this has been happening a lot longer than the current Government.”

Laa Brown, 16, hops into a ute that she flagged down while hitchhiking to school. Photo / Mike Brown 11 Februry 2025 NZME supplied

Questions were raised about whether this was a case of discrimination as the reason the school was chosen was the speciality te reo units.

“Depriving them of the transport to that school which they had already been attending when the bus route was pulled seems like it could be discriminatory because they are then forced to go to schools with no te reo unit or to be homeschooled and not able to access the education they want and deserve.”

One parent sympathised with the children and said after she moved her daughter away from the school she had attended her whole life, she became depressed.

She said she drove her daughter an hour round trip to and from school and said sometimes changing your child’s school was “simply not an option”.