Kaiapoi High School redevelopment upscaled to $22m project

A further $6.6 million will be invested in the redevelopment of Kaiapoi High School in North Canterbury, on top of the $15.5 million already announced for the project, Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“This upscaling to a $22 million project reflects higher than expected roll growth at the school since the redevelopment was first announced,” says Ms Parata.

“Kaiapoi High School is one of 115 schools that are being remodelled, rebuilt or repaired as part of the 10-year, $1.14 billion Christchurch schools rebuild programme.

“This programme is now in its third year and is making excellent progress, with seven schools completed, 10 in construction, 21 in design and nine in the planning stage.

“Over the past three years, Kaiapoi High School has experienced a significant increase in student numbers.

“This growth is expected to continue in the future, so we’re making sure the school is well placed to accommodate the extra students coming its way.

“The Government is committed to meeting roll growth and supporting Canterbury’s education network, as it continues to rebound from the 2011 earthquakes,” says Ms Parata.

Ms Kaye says the roll growth at Kaiapoi High School is being driven by factors such as nearby residential development.

“To accommodate the expected growth, we’re expanding the scale of the redevelopment to include 10 additional new learning spaces,” says Ms Kaye.

“This will increase the school’s capacity to 1100 students and provide for around 320 extra students, on top of the current roll of around 780.

“The redevelopment will now see 42 new learning spaces built in total. These will be housed in two separate classroom blocks. A new multipurpose gym that’s part of the redevelopment will also be extended with the additional funding.”

Other work as part of the redevelopment includes refurbishing the school’s administration block and auditorium, and redeveloping the Karanga Mai Young Parents’ College and Early Learning Centre, which shares the same site as Kaiapoi High School.

Ms Kaye says work on the rebuild is expected to start in early 2017, and be completed by 2018. As with any school redevelopment, the focus will be on creating an innovative learning environment, featuring flexible learning spaces that can accommodate different ways of teaching and learning.

“This project is part of massive work underway across Canterbury aimed at rebuilding schools and expanding capacity.

“Budget 2016 saw a $268 million injection into the Christchurch Schools rebuild programme, with another $8 million for a total of 21 new roll growth classrooms at Lincoln Primary School, Lincoln High School, Methven School, Amuri Area School, Carew Peel Forest School and Swannanoa School.

“In total, this Government has committed around $5 billion to school property, significantly more than any previous government.”

About Kaiapoi High School

Kaiapoi High School is a co-educational secondary school (years 9-13) located in Kaiapoi, North Canterbury. It has been recognised as being at the forefront of outdoor education and leadership, and the development of the Young Parents’ College.

About innovative learning environments

Unlike traditional classrooms, where teachers addressed students from the front of the class, today’s teachers work more collaboratively with each other and students, in small and large groups and individually according to students’ learning needs.

When new schools are built or existing schools upgraded, this is an opportunity to create comfortable, well-connected and flexible learning spaces that support the creation of an innovative learning environment.

These spaces can be changed to support a range of teaching and learning approaches on any given day, and are also able to adapt to broader changes as education practices evolve over time. Acoustics, lighting, technology, heating and air quality are of a high standard to help students concentrate on learning.