Latest news with #HamiltonEastSchool
Scoop
a day ago
- Politics
- Scoop
$33 Million Into More Classrooms For Central North Island Schools
Press Release – New Zealand Government Construction on these projects will begin over the next 12 months, which means schools, families, and communities can start experiencing the benefits as soon as possible, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. Minister of Education The Government is delivering 32 more safe, warm and dry classrooms and a major school redevelopment for Kiwi kids living in the Central North Island. 'As communities continue to grow, we remain committed to future-proofing our education system so parents have certainty about where to send their child to school. We're not only building more classrooms, but we are also building more opportunities for children to thrive. 'This package is about making sure our schools can keep up with the needs of their communities so more students have access to fit-for-purpose learning environments,' Education Minister Erica Stanford says. It includes: 4 classrooms at Hamilton East School in Hamilton, 2 classrooms at Waipawa School in Hawke's Bay, 3 classrooms at Maungatapu School in Tauranga, 2 classrooms at Te Kauwhata Primary School in Waikato, and 2 Classrooms at Kawerau South School in the Bay of Plenty. Further to this, Taihape Area School will benefit from a major redevelopment, getting 19 new classrooms, including a hard technology classroom, and the multipurpose hall and gym space will be strengthened to improve its seismic performance. This project will meet the needs of the school, taking a standardised and value for money approach to address long-overdue seismic and weathertightness issues. 'The Taihape community has been loud and clear for almost a decade that their school property is not fit-for-purpose. Students and staff have been teaching and learning in sub-standard classrooms for too long. This investment will make sure children are set up for success in the classroom.' 'Construction on these projects will begin over the next 12 months, which means schools, families, and communities can start experiencing the benefits as soon as possible,' said Ms. Stanford. 'We are powering up efficiencies in school property delivery so more schools, communities and children benefit sooner. The use of standardised building designs, offsite manufacturing, and streamlining procurement have lowered the average cost of a classroom by 28%, allowing 30% more classrooms to be delivered last year compared to 2023. We will continue to drive this down so more Kiwi kids can thrive,' Ms Stanford says.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
New North Island classrooms ease pressure on teaching space
Education Minister Erica Stanford launches new classrooms at Hamilton East School. Photo: RNZ/Libby Kirkby-McLeod The Government has announced 32 new classrooms for the central North Island, including four at a school facing pressure to convert their library to meet demand. Education Minister Erica Stanford made the $33 million investment announcement at Hamilton East School, a primary school with a roll of about 533 students. Hamilton has been New Zealand's fastest growing city for the last couple of years. Hamilton East School principal Philippa Wright said she was under considerable pressure to use the library as a classroom to deal with school growth. "It's actually used all day, not just as a library, but also as a safe space for some of our students with high needs," she said. Last year, RNZ reported about students at Hamilton's Fraser High School who were being taught in the library. Wright said she would encourage other schools to push back on pressure from the Ministry of Education to use libraries as classroom space. "My point is we are developing readers, so we need a place for them to read." She pointed out closing libraries in schools didn't help meet the Government priority of improved literacy. Stanford said schools having to use library space for classrooms was concerning. "It starts with a library and then, the next minute, they are in staffrooms, because of the lack of classroom space - but that's what today is all about. It's about the 8000 extra student places that we delivered through this budget." Education Minister Erica Stanford is welcomed to Hamilton East School. Photo: RNZ/Libby Kirkby-McLeod Stanford said the ministry was dealing with a backlog of need, but every budget, they put in more new roll-growth classrooms. Along with the four new classrooms at Hamilton East, two classrooms will be built at Waipawa School in Hawke's Bay, three at Maungatapu School in Tauranga, two at Te Kauwhata Primary School in Waikato, two at Kawerau South School in the Bay of Plenty and 19 at Taihape Area School, as part of a major redevelopment of that campus. Construction on the new classrooms will begin over the next 12 months. "We are powering up efficiencies in school property delivery, so more schools, communities and children benefit sooner," Stanford said. "The use of standardised building designs, offsite manufacturing and streamlining procurement have lowered the average cost of a classroom by 28 percent, allowing 30 percent more classrooms to be delivered last year, compared to 2023. "We will continue to drive this down, so more Kiwi kids can thrive." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
$33 Million Into More Classrooms For Central North Island Schools
Minister of Education The Government is delivering 32 more safe, warm and dry classrooms and a major school redevelopment for Kiwi kids living in the Central North Island. 'As communities continue to grow, we remain committed to future-proofing our education system so parents have certainty about where to send their child to school. We're not only building more classrooms, but we are also building more opportunities for children to thrive. 'This package is about making sure our schools can keep up with the needs of their communities so more students have access to fit-for-purpose learning environments,' Education Minister Erica Stanford says. It includes: 4 classrooms at Hamilton East School in Hamilton, 2 classrooms at Waipawa School in Hawke's Bay, 3 classrooms at Maungatapu School in Tauranga, 2 classrooms at Te Kauwhata Primary School in Waikato, and 2 Classrooms at Kawerau South School in the Bay of Plenty. Further to this, Taihape Area School will benefit from a major redevelopment, getting 19 new classrooms, including a hard technology classroom, and the multipurpose hall and gym space will be strengthened to improve its seismic performance. This project will meet the needs of the school, taking a standardised and value for money approach to address long-overdue seismic and weathertightness issues. 'The Taihape community has been loud and clear for almost a decade that their school property is not fit-for-purpose. Students and staff have been teaching and learning in sub-standard classrooms for too long. This investment will make sure children are set up for success in the classroom.' 'Construction on these projects will begin over the next 12 months, which means schools, families, and communities can start experiencing the benefits as soon as possible,' said Ms. Stanford. 'We are powering up efficiencies in school property delivery so more schools, communities and children benefit sooner. The use of standardised building designs, offsite manufacturing, and streamlining procurement have lowered the average cost of a classroom by 28%, allowing 30% more classrooms to be delivered last year compared to 2023. We will continue to drive this down so more Kiwi kids can thrive,' Ms Stanford says.
