Rolleston College – Horoeka Haemata and Risingholme Learning are partnering to bring a programme of adult and community education courses to Selwyn, giving local residents the opportunity to learn new skills, meet others in their community, and explore their interests from a place close to home.
Courses are set to start in Term 1 2027 from the school’s new senior campus, Te Kura Tuarua, and will be shaped by community feedback gathered through a short public survey. “We want Rolleston College to be a place that belongs to and serves our whole community” says Rolleston College – Horoeka Haemata Principal, Rachel Skelton. “Partnering with Risingholme Learning gives us an exciting opportunity to open our facilities beyond the school day and create accessible learning opportunities for adults across Rolleston and the wider Selwyn community. The most important first step is listening — we want our community to tell us what they would value, what they would like to learn, and what would encourage them to take part.”
The partnership is timely, given the rapid growth in Selwyn and the need to provide varied adult learning opportunities around the district. “We are thrilled to partner with Rolleston College who share our belief in the enriching impact that community education can have on people’s lives. While the initial offerings will be limited to begin with, we are looking forward to continuing to work together to build a programme that we hope will only grow in the years to come to meet changing needs”, adds Risingholme Director Lynda Megson.
Risingholme Learning has been delivering courses and workshops for adults in Christchurch for over 80 years, offering hundreds of face-to-face courses across creative and applied arts, wellbeing, languages, digital and employment-related subjects among others. The new course programme in Rolleston will draw on that experience to offer lifelong learning opportunities that are as much about building skills and personal development as they are about socialising and improving individual and collective wellbeing.
To ensure the course offerings are relevant and accessible, locals are encouraged to have their say through a course survey which will help directly shape the programme when it launches in 2027 and as it develops throughout the year. Megson explains, “identifying community needs is a critical part of a creating a successful programme, and this also comes with the opportunity for talented practitioners to work within the community and share their passion and skills with others too”.
Rolleston College – Horoeka Haemata Principal Rachel Skelton is herself attending a Risingholme course and is excited to bring community courses to Selwyn.
Enrolments for courses will open from 1 December. To complete the course survey and help shape the programme, follow this link.
The survey is open from 7 September – 12 October.
