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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.

Associate Education Minister Craig Foss has welcomed confirmation that the Novopay payroll project will be the subject of an independent review.

“While the Ministry of Education’s new payroll project is still in its early stages, the number of issues resulting from the payroll transition has been unacceptable. The review will be comprehensive and thorough,” says Mr Foss.

The independent post implementation review will commence in early 2013.

A further 150 schools will be ready for the ultra-fast broadband rollout as the next stage of the School Network Upgrade Project (SNUP) is announced.

Associate Minister of Education, Craig Foss says that upgrade work on 150 schools will start by the end of the year.

More than one third of eligible schools have already been upgraded, giving students access to a faster, better quality internet connection.

Associate Education Minister Craig Foss has announced further funding of $2.66 million for the redevelopment of Te Karaka Area School, between Gisborne and Opotiki.

Te Karaka Area School opened following the merger of Waikohu College and Te Karaka School in 2011.

The roll of Te Karaka Area School has grown rapidly and several earthquake prone buildings on the Waikohu College have been identified.

Budget 2012 announced a nationwide school property review to help improve student achievement through a world-class education system.

Associate Education Minister Craig Foss has announced that New Zealand company Beca has been selected to conduct the review.

School property is the second-largest publicly owned estate, comprising more than 2,300 schools, 8,000 hectares and a replacement value of more than $19 billion.

The Government is investing the first $33.8 million of proceeds from the Future Investment Fund into upgrading school IT networks, Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Craig Foss say.

This is part of the $1 billion ring-fenced in the fund for investing in the Government’s 21st Century Schools programme. The fund is established in Budget 2012 to invest the $5 billion to $7 billion expected proceeds from the Government’s partial share sales of five SOEs.

Associate Education Minister, Craig Foss will attend the fifth APEC Education Ministers’ Meeting in Gyeongju, Korea next week.

The Korean Ministry of Education Science and Technology and APEC’s Education Network are bringing together Education Ministers, academics and senior officials from the 21 APEC economies.

The group will review progress on collaborative education projects and set the direction for a new four-year work programme.

Associate Education Minister Craig Foss has announced a $4.6 million investment to upgrade Carisbrook School.

Dunedin’s new Carisbrook School was created when Caversham Primary School, Calton Hill Primary School, and College Street Primary School merged.

To accommodate a growing school roll, students are currently split between the three school sites.

The government is committing $4.6 million to upgrade the Caversham site and provide a 21st century learning environment.

The Ministry of Education has entered into a contract for New Zealand’s first school property public private partnership (PPP), Associate Minister of Education, Craig Foss announced today.

Learning Infrastructure Partners will be responsible for the design, construction, finance and maintenance of Hobsonville Point primary and secondary schools for the next 25 years.

Hobsonville Point Primary School will open at the beginning of 2013 and Hobsonville Point Secondary School will open early 2014.

Associate Education Minister, Craig Foss, today confirmed a further 90 schools will receive government-subsidised internal network upgrades, in readiness for ultra-fast broadband.

The Ministry of Education’s School Network Upgrade Project (SNUP) has so far upgraded internal school networks in more than a third of eligible state and state-integrated schools, with more underway.

Associate Minister of Education, Craig Foss has today announced Learning Infrastructure Partners as the Preferred Bidder for the first school property public private partnership (PPP) in New Zealand.

Learning Infrastructure Partners was one of three consortia short listed. The proposals were reviewed by the Ministry of Education, Treasury officials and specialist advisors.