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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.

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.