Hon Chris Carter
Minister of Education

10 December 2007 Media Statement

A chance to go green for Auckland’s newest schools

A major investment in education will see three new schools for the Auckland region which are all being designed with both education and the environment in mind, Minister of Education Chris Carter says.

The purchase of a school site in the Stonefields development in a former quarry at Mt Wellington and construction of two more schools at Flat Bush in Manukau City, represent a $32 million investment by the Labour-led government in Auckland’s education future.

“It is always exciting to unveil plans for new schools but the innovative designs involved in these new schools shows a real commitment to environmental concerns that I’m particularly pleased about,” Chris Carter said.

“The Stonefields community is being designed for ease of movement without cars so that pedestrians, cyclists and buses are given priority. The school will be no more than ten minutes’ walk from the furthest house.”

“If most students arrive on foot, it means not just daily exercise but less traffic, parking hassles and vehicle emissions near the school.”

The new school will also utilise Stonefields’ “third pipe” stormwater system, a key to managing the health of the nearby Waiatarua wetland.

In Flat Bush, school design is aimed at achieving sustainability in regard to energy and water consumption and naturally ventilated, low-energy fittings and lighting that automatically adjusts to the amount of daylight available. Sensors switch lights off in unoccupied areas and clear piping in the rainwater harvesting system will show students how water is recycled.

The Flat Bush schools, Mission Heights Primary and Mission Heights Junior College, will open in 2009. The school at Stonefields is expected to open the year after.

ENDS

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