$8.5m redevelopment for Kelburn Normal School, Wellington

The Government will invest $8.5 million redeveloping Kelburn Normal School in Wellington, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“This project will help address a range of building and site issues at the school, and create an exciting new learning environment for students,” says Ms Kaye.

“The school’s main teaching block, which is past its use-by date, will be demolished and replaced with a new two-storeyed building. The new block will be repositioned on the school site to free up space for hard courts and fields.

“Other buildings will be structurally strengthened and upgraded.

“The redevelopment will see all of the school’s main buildings brought together on a single campus, to better support teaching of the curriculum. Currently, the school sits on either side of a roadway, and learning spaces on one side of the road will be demolished and integrated into the main campus.

“As with all significant school redevelopments, the focus will be on creating an innovative learning environment, which allows students to learn in groups, work with their peers or learn independently. This helps them develop skills such as collaboration as well as independent problem solving.

“Learning spaces will be flexible, enabling them to provide an open-plan layout or be closed off into traditional classrooms.

“Acoustics, lighting, heating and air quality will be high-quality, to help students concentrate on learning, and facilities will be equipped with the latest IT infrastructure to support digital learning.

“The Government is committed to ensuring that students all over New Zealand can learn in an environment that inspires and supports them to achieve to the best of their potential, and this redevelopment is part of this broader plan.

“Today’s announcement follows several announcements of other investments in school redevelopments since late October. These include Aotea College in Porirua, Wellington East Girls’ College, Te Wharekura o Maniapoto in Te Kuiti, Marlborough Boys’ and Girls’ Colleges, and Western Springs College, Takapuna Grammar School and Balmoral School in Auckland. Waterview Primary School and Freemans Bay School in Auckland have also had the scope of planned redevelopments expanded.

“The total value of these projects is around $273 million.

“Over the last seven years, we’ve invested more than $4 billion in school property maintenance, growth and modernisation. This is more than a 30 per cent increase on the previous seven years.”

Construction at Kelburn Normal School is expected to start late in 2016.

Notes for editors

About Kelburn Normal School

Kelburn Normal School is a full primary school (years 1-8) close to central Wellington. The redevelopment will cater for a roll of around 300 students.