Hon Nikki Kaye

Associate Minister of Education

23 March 2017

Ceremony to mark $9m Thorndon School redevelopment

A ceremony at lunchtime today will usher in the construction phase of the $9 million redevelopment of Thorndon School in Wellington, says Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye.

“The designs for this project have now been finalised, and they show what a fantastic new facility this is going to be,” says Ms Kaye.

“I’m looking forward to joining the school for this ceremony. There will be a blessing, and a sod from the construction site will be removed and kept for returning to the earth once the project is complete.”

Construction is expected to begin within seven weeks and be wrapped up by the end of next year.

“The project will see new teaching blocks containing 13 teaching spaces built, along with a new administration block and refurbishment of an existing building to provide library space,” says Ms Kaye.

“The current buildings at the school, which is one of the oldest in Wellington, have weathertightness issues, so it’s great to be marking this new chapter in the school’s history.

“Because the school sits on a compact inner city site, a lot of thought has gone into the design for the project to maximise outdoor play space and access ways.

“This redevelopment is part of ongoing work across New Zealand to upgrade and expand our schools.

“In March alone, we’ve announced $16.8 million for new school infrastructure at Warkworth Primary School and Auckland’s Long Bay Primary School, we’ve marked the start of construction of $3.6 million of new teaching spaces at Spotswood College and Te Pi’ipi’inga Kakano Mai Rangiatea in New Plymouth, and the Prime Minister opened the fantastic new $12 million Lemonwood Grove School in Christchurch.

“In the Wellington area, we’ve announced around $117 million for school redevelopments since November 2015, including Thorndon School, Aotea College, Wellington East Girls’ College, Newtown School, Kelburn Normal School, Khandallah School, Ngaio School, Northland School, Churton Park School and Brooklyn School.

“On top of this, since Budget 2016 we’ve also announced around $7.2 million for 22 extra classroom to meet roll growth at schools across the Greater Wellington region.

“This is part of the greatest ever spend on school infrastructure by a New Zealand government, which so far has seen over $5 billion committed for new and upgraded schools and classrooms.”

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