Long term planning is necessary to ensure adequate school provision to cater for population growth in Auckland, Education Minister Trevor Mallard said today.

Trevor Mallard told Parliament that, as a result of concern from the Auckland community about school age population growth, he had commissioned a report to assess school capacity over the next 50 years.

"That report has been received and shows that, with the increase to property provision made in the recent budget, the Government is well placed to meet demand for schooling provision across the Auckland region.

"I am happy to reassure Aucklanders that their children will have quality schools available which will be reasonably convenient to where they live."

Trevor Mallard said the school age population would not need to be accommodated within existing schools and classrooms.

"While there is some spare capacity in parts of the Auckland network of schools, the Ministry is now holding sites to build 18 new schools and is negotiating purchase of a further four sites. Fourteen of these new schools will be built in the next five years.

"The Government has allocated $135.3 million in the current financial year for increased rolls in Auckland. That is a large, and important investment in our young people."

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