Government's Efficient School Property Investment: $100M for New Classrooms

The Government’s relentless focus on driving efficiencies and value for money in school property has freed up $100 million to reinvest into more new, safe, warm and dry classrooms.

We’re building school property better so more schools, communities and children benefit sooner. We’ve halved the cost of delivering new classrooms from $1.2 million to $620,000 by focusing on offsite manufacturing, modular classrooms, repeatable designs, simple and standard solutions, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

Prioritising these solutions has helped to free up $100 million to reinvest in other rapidly growing areas. It will deliver a new school and another 82 new classrooms across the country, including Learning Support classrooms that are more specialised and multipurpose spaces.

New classrooms: Ashburton Netherby School - 2 classrooms Cashmere High School - 14 classrooms Cosgrove School - 4 classrooms Kerikeri High School - 4 classrooms Kerikeri Primary School - 4 classrooms Papakura Intermediate - 6 classrooms Papatoetoe High School – 12 classrooms Shirley Primary School - 2 classrooms Warkworth School - 6 classrooms Whangaparoa College – 6 classrooms Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kaikohe - 4 classrooms Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Taumarunui - 4 classrooms Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Hiringa - 4 classrooms New learning support classrooms: Cambridge Middle School - 1 satellite classroom for Northern Health School Eight satellite classrooms for Kimi Ora Specialist School - 2 at Fergusson Intermediate, 2 at Te Aro School, 2 at Wilford School and a further 2 at a secondary school in Hutt Valley Mt Richmond School - refurbishing the space for 45 students Oromahoe School - 1 satellite classroom for Blomfield Specialist School New School: Ring-fenced funding for a new Year 1 to 8 primary school in Pokēno.

This investment is on top of the $713 million we’ve invested into school infrastructure since Budget 25. All of New Zealand’s almost 2,500 state and state-integrated schools will benefit.

It includes $300 million for repairing and upgrading 33 schools across the country, $255 million for internal and external improvements at 934 isolated, small and rural schools, $100 million over five years additional funding for urgent and essential infrastructure work for all schools and $58 million for operating maintenance work at all state and state-integrated schools.

Our drive for efficiency and good value for money is delivering more classrooms across the country. We will continue to deliver school infrastructure better, and we’re backing our teachers and learners with the support they need to succeed, Ms Stanford says.