The Government has announced it will invest a further $37 million to redevelop four schools in Auckland, Wellington and Gore.
Education Minister, Erica Stanford said work on the four projects will begin within the next 12 months.
“When we came into Government, school property was a mess. Around 350 projects could not be delivered within the funding available, schools had been waiting years for certainty, and classrooms were costing around $1.2 million each,” said Ms Stanford.
“We said we would fix it, and that is exactly what we have been doing.
“We changed the way we build, using simpler, repeatable designs and offsite manufacturing. Most new classrooms now cost less than $650,000 and more than $330 million in savings has been reinvested back into school property.
“Today, four more school communities are getting certainty.”
The projects are:
- Lynfield College, Auckland: a new administration block.
- Whenuapai School, Auckland: 10 replacement classrooms, a library and resource space.
- Tawa College, Wellington: upgrades to classroom block interiors.
- Māruawai College, Gore: 14 replacement classrooms as Stage 2 of the school’s redevelopment.
The Government is also making up to $3 million available to ease property pressures and expand capacity at Kōhanga Reo. Minister Stanford said Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust and the Ministry of Education will work together to identify where the investment can have the greatest impact.
“Demand for immersion education is growing and parents should have choice. If they choose Kōhanga Reo for their child, we want to make sure there is space available.”
“We inherited a school property system that was not delivering. We have changed the way it works, driven down costs and reinvested the savings. Now we are getting school property back on track and getting on with delivering what schools and communities need,” she said.
