New school site purchased in the Queenstown area

Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Minister Craig Foss today confirmed the site for a new primary school in the Queenstown area.

The three-hectare site in the Shotover development, adjacent to the Lake Hayes Estate, is located in an area expected to experience significant population growth in the next 15 years.

Hekia Parata said: “Confirmation of the agreement to purchase is excellent news. Queenstown is growing and the community needs extra schooling capacity. The Shotover site is well-located and will ensure young learners are well-catered for.

“When the Government opened the new Remarkables Primary School it said a new primary school would be built between Queenstown and Arrowtown.

“The site we have identified will have good vehicle, cycling and pedestrian routes to the existing Lake Hayes Estate and give Queenstown students new and exciting educational opportunities in a modern 21st century environment.”

Craig Foss said: “Shotover was identified as a logical choice for the location of a new school, given its centrality to population growth and the positive attributes of the site.

“The site is part of a wider plan to expand schooling capacity in the area. Earlier this year, a new site for the Wakatipu High School was acquired in the Remarkables Park development and the school is expected to move to the new site in the near future. The Shotover site purchase is another important development in the provision of education in the Queenstown area.”

Notes:

In 2009, the Government announced a range of interim measures to accommodate the imminent student roll growth. Immediate changes were made to Queenstown Primary School and Wakatipu High School to enable them to accommodate more students in the interim. The Shotover site is located to the south of State Highway 6 and will be central to a planned residential development for 750 houses. Work is underway to open the new school by February 2015.