Education Minister Erica Stanford said the government is improving school infrastructure by investing approximately $300 million to repair and upgrade 33 schools with some of the toughest property conditions in the country.
“For too long, these schools have been left waiting with no certainty about when their much-needed redevelopment would begin. We are turning around the delivery of school property by driving efficiencies, transparency and better communication so more schools, communities and children benefit sooner,” Stanford said.
“This investment is getting spades in the ground, addressing the backlog of unfunded condition-related projects that we inherited to ensure more children can learn in safe, warm, and dry environments.”
The initial tranche allocates $87 million to seven schools with the most critical needs. These are:
- 4 refurbished classrooms and resource space at Dargaville High School
- 15 refurbished and strengthened classrooms at Albany Junior High School
- 9 replacement classrooms, library and resource space at Rangitoto College
- 9 refurbished and strengthened classrooms at Alfriston College, including interim seismic strengthening of classrooms scheduled in future stages
- 10 replacement classrooms and admin space at Onslow College
- 9 replacement and roll growth classrooms at Newlands College
- Admin block replacement and seismic strengthening of the hall at Mairehau High School
Construction on all projects is set to start within the next 12 months. Additional tranches will be announced as due diligence and planning continue.
Additionally, up to $30 million in roll growth funding will provide 16 new teaching spaces at Wellington High School, including 10 specialist classrooms.
“Given the constrained site, a three-storey, 16 classroom teaching block meets the school’s capacity needs and allows us to get shovels in the ground faster.
“We’re getting spades in the ground sooner and building a long-term pipeline that gives communities across the country certainty about their school’s future,” Stanford said.