Opening speech Australasian Council of Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI) Conference

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Thank you for inviting me to speak at the opening of the 13th Australasian CEFPI conference.

I want to acknowledge that this is the first occasion that New Zealand has hosted the conference.

I would also like to acknowledge Conference Chair, Helen Anderson; CEFPI Australasia Chair Mark Trotter; CEFPI International President Irene Nigaglioni; and you the delegates.

As an Aucklander, I welcome you to our city. I hope you all have an opportunity to get out and enjoy what Auckland has to offer.

As the MP for Waiheke I recommend a visit to the island. Auckland has many beautiful places from our waterfront, to the Waitakere ranges, to the islands of the Hauraki gulf.

Introductory remarks

As Associate Minister of Education, I have responsibility for infrastructure which includes school property, ICT and transport services.

Our ability to improve this infrastructure will directly affect the quality of learning environments.

The conference theme of disruption also fits with another of my ministerial responsibilities, Civil Defence and Emergency Management.

Yesterday I returned from attending the Fourth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland. There was a strong focus improving policy to better protect children from major disasters and ensure communities are more resilient to disruption.

The Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 tested New Zealand’s approach to disaster risk reduction. As a result we are seen to have strong expertise in both emergency management and recovery.

School communities and school buildings played a key role in the days following the quakes and continue to play a big part in building resilient communities.

Improving the legislative framework for building safety

New Zealand’s seismic risk to buildings has been long understood and building designs and structural codes have improved over time to reflect best practice.

Newer buildings generally performed satisfactorily during the Canterbury earthquakes, with only a few system and standards improvements needed.

The fact that there were no major injuries to students in our schools in Canterbury reflects both previous structural strengthening programmes and the resilience of our typical lightweight timber framed classrooms.

But a key issue for Government is considering ways to manage our older school buildings.

Some are considered earthquake prone because they do not meet modern structural standards.

We must act to address this to ensure public safety, while looking to maintain heritage values and consider economic viability.

We have programme of work focused on strengthening our earthquake prone buildings and fixing leaky buildings. This work is important to improve both the safety and quality of learning environments across New Zealand.

21st century schools

Within this context of resilience and sustainability, my goal is to provide a more integrated 21st century platform for learning.

The Government recognises that investing in education also means that schools need high-quality infrastructure and environments that support delivery of future-focused teaching and learning practices.

We know that shifting towards more adaptable learning spaces means transforming both the physical and online environments.

Whether a student is learning online or in the classroom, we want the environment to be more flexible, connected, safe, fit for purpose and inspiring for both teachers and students.

We also need to acknowledge the important role that schools play in society and how we can be better at building facilities that can be shared and used by more than just the immediate school community.

Investing in the physical environment

In terms of the physical environment, school property in New Zealand represents the Government’s second largest property investment, with a replacement value in excess of $20 billion.

Over successive Budgets the Government has increased spending on infrastructure, from around $400 million in 2007 to more than $600 million in 2012, to manage, maintain, modernise and expand the portfolio in line with demographic shifts and community needs.

As part of Budget 2013, I recently announced an additional $134 million for new school property over the next financial year.

This is in addition to committing $1 billion to rebuilding the education sector in greater Christchurch.

Challenges and opportunities

Given the scale of investment, it is vital that our school infrastructure provides an effective enabler for learning. This is through the delivery of modern, flexible environments and systems that support the educational outcomes we are seeking.

To achieve this we need to address the challenges of the property portfolio and capitalise on opportunities to future-proof our investments.

All new schools constructed today can have the highest standards included in their design.

In terms of challenges, around 60 per cent of school buildings are more than 40 years old. And we need to address earthquake resilience, and weather-tightness.
As I have said, major work programmes are in place to progress earthquake strengthening and remediate leaky buildings.

Another area of focus is on making certain that property planning, maintenance, repairs, remediation and redevelopments not only lift the quality and sustainability of the property portfolio, but make a significant contribution to the modernisation of the infrastructure and learning environments.

In recent years, the Ministry of Education has established a range of major programmes that will protect the value of Crown assets and lead to a more modern and connected school network.

Further improvements will be made to school property management by the Ministry, schools and suppliers of property-related products and services coming together to work towards a clear, shared vision for school property.

Investing in the online environment

Increasingly, children and young people are taking advantage of digital learning opportunities.

The Government has made a major investment in rolling out ultra-fast broadband nationally.

$200 million has been provided to prioritise school connectivity so that 98 per cent of schools will have ultra-fast broadband, and the remainder wireless access to reliable online services by 2016.

The prioritisation of school connectivity is complemented by additional investments in school ICT upgrades that will provide fast and reliable online access to a wide range of quality educational resources.

These investments support our commitment to lift educational achievement and will also enable greater collaboration for education professionals.

This Government wants to ensure all New Zealand students and teachers enjoy the benefits of safe, modern learning environments that support the range of learning opportunities and pathways available globally.

Closing

I hope you enjoy the conference and the opportunity it provides to improve school property development.

Many of the issues and policies being discussed are transferable to countries in Australasia.

Thank you for the contribution that you are making to deliver more safe, connected and modern learning environments for young people throughout Australasia.