$21million for upgrades to 10 Auckland schools

A $21 million funding injection for property upgrades in New Zealand’s largest city have been announced by Education Minister Chris Hipkins.

“These are projects that are ready to enter construction but need an extra push so delivery can begin in the current challenging market,” Hipkins revealed.

“This extra funding will not only ensure these projects happen fast, but in some cases mean we can do more.”

The boost comes from the $150 million Budget 2021 initiative to support ‘shovel-ready school property redevelopment projects’ at schools all over the country.

The 10 Auckland schools to benefit from the funding are: 

• Mount Roskill Grammar School
• Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate Senior School
• Auckland Normal Intermediate School
• Colwill School
• Somerville Intermediate School
• Chelsea School
• James Cook High School
• Kauri Flats School
• Onehunga High School
• Parakai School

Hipkins outlined some of the ways the money will be spent. “At Auckland Normal Intermediate and Onehunga High School we are relocating classrooms to a better location on the site, as well as improving ground conditions at the latter. At Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate we are now addressing all of its weathertightness issues.

“And at Mount Roskill Grammar the school’s significant weathertightness remediation project will also include the rebuild of the school’s music block. Additional facilities can be included, like replacing a caretaker and storage block at Colwill School.”

The Minister for Education said, “The Government is committed to investing in our schools so that kids have warm, dry and fit for purpose spaces to learn in, well into the future. We are committed to creating jobs and building better infrastructure, which will set us up for the long term.”

Adding, “Our investment in schools is yet another way the Government is making progress to make sure that New Zealand is the best place in the world to be a child.”