- Rt Hon Chris Hipkins
The Wainuiomata High School redevelopment is making great progress, with two more classroom blocks set to be complete by the end of the month, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced today.
The Prime Minister visited today to see first-hand the progress of the redevelopment which is continuing at pace and is on track to open in 2025.
“The school’s new cultural precinct opened in March, which includes a wharekai, technology and arts hubs. I’m excited the next stages, two out of three classroom blocks will also be completed soon,” Chris Hipkins said.
“I had the privilege as Education Minister of taking a sledgehammer to the old blocks when work began. It’s a project I’ve followed closely and am proud to see these next steps completed.
“This is a project that is 65% complete and has made great progress in what has been a challenging time for construction. The Government has committed to seeing the project through with a total of $67 million now committed to the project.
“The next steps include building the third classroom block to accommodate the high school’s roll, refurbishing the school’s sports facilities, library and administration blocks, and building a support hub made up of essential student facilities such as reading recovery, counselling services, career guidance, school deans, a school nurse, and a sickbay.
“This redevelopment demonstrates a significant investment for teaching and learning. It is a great example of the Government’s commitment to investing in our schools so that young people have warm, dry and fit for purpose spaces to learn in.
“The delivered and planned upgrades are an investment in Wainuiomata High School’s community for many years to come.
“The local community has immense pride in their school. Creating great local schools like this, that parents want to send their children to, is yet another example of how we’re achieving this Government’s goal of quality teaching spaces for all young people.
“As with many large infrastructure projects, there have been delays due to buildability challenges and design. This is not uncommon in projects of this size and scope. The Covid-19 lockdown and its flow on effects on the construction sector was also a factor.
“I’m pleased the redevelopment is now on track and making excellent progress and I look forward to celebrating the opening of the completed refurbishments with the school in 2025,” Chris Hipkins said.
