Education Minister Hekia Parata has delayed her decision on whether or not to close a Christchurch school, after receiving almost 3000 submissions about the proposal.
Ms Parata was due to announce her decision about the future of Redcliffs School early this month but the board of trustees said the minister had asked for more time.
The board said the decision would be made in Term 4, which starts on 12 October, because of the large volume of submissions and the need to get further advice.
The board said although the delay was disappointing, the quality and quantity of the submissions have forced the minister to seriously consider her initial proposal.
The board said if the closure went ahead, it would not happen before 2017.