The Old School Building That A Community Tried To Sell On Facebook

Saturday, 10 May 2025, 10:47 am
Article: Matthew Rosenberg - Local Democracy Reporter

An abandoned school building in rural Southland may finally face its fate after multiple failed attempts to get rid of it.

There was a request to burn the building down in 2019, it was later pulled from a Facebook marketplace sale, and was almost sold for $5000 before the deal fell through.

Now the Seaward Downs recreational reserve where the district council-owned building sits is tracking towards disposal — legitimately.

The 1.5 hectare site, half an hour east of Invercargill, is also home to an empty swimming pool, changing rooms, and tennis court.

The school closed in 1971 and its building hasn’t been used since 2015 when a local playgroup moved to the nearby hall.

District councillor Julie Keast, a member of the community board that oversees it, said it was possible the building's heritage value was not understood in time to make a difference.

“It needs a lot of maintenance and over time I suspect that it hasn’t been done in what could be called a preferred way to maintain that heritage," she told Local Democracy Reporting.

A number of attempts have been made to get rid of the school building, which falls under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act because of its age.

Details of those attempts were recorded in an April 29 report for a Waihopai Toetoe Community Board meeting.

A request from a domain committee member in 2019 to dispose of the building by fire was deemed too expensive because of its classification under the Act.

In 2022, members of the community placed the structure on Facebook Marketplace but a potential sale was stopped due to it being council property.

The council decided it could be sold later that year, and a price of $5000 was reached with a potential buyer.

But the sale never happened because the purchaser could not be contacted.

The local board has now recommended to council that it request staff to begin a disposal process for the property.

Reserve status would need to be revoked, which would return both the land and buildings to the Crown — in this case the Department of Conservation.

If the site is sold by DOC, the council can request a share of the proceeds.

The council understands the building was constructed at another site in 1891 before being transported to the reserve in 1954.

Its compliance team is investigating whether the structure is sanitary, and further work could be required if it is deemed not up to scratch.

The land has an expired licence to graze which is "rolling over".

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