A new school property entity is being set up to manage the building, maintaining, and administering the school property portfolio.
Education Minister Erica Stanford who has been visiting Northcross Intermediate School in Auckland, made the announcement during a school visit on Friday.
The new Crown agent will sit separate from the Ministry of Education, which will keep responsibility for education policy and network decisions.
Announcing the launch of the New Zealand School Property Agency, Stanford said schools had been kept waiting for classrooms and refurbishments they badly needed.
"The government inherited a school property system bordering on a crisis. The previous government made big promises to school communities, but its unfunded, bespoke, expensive projects weren't deliverable," she said.
Education Minister Erica Stanford Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
McCully to chair new advisory group
A ministerial advisory group, chaired by former National minister Murray McCully, has been tasked with providing advice on the transition to the new agency.
McCully had earlier led an inquiry into the school property system, which Stanford said had helped inform the new approach.
Stanford said the inquiry's report had found the ministry's "processes for managing the school property portfolio needed overhauling, that schools struggled with a lack of transparency, unclear prioritisation of projects, and inefficient project planning and delivery".
She said a major finding of the inquiry was that schools found the property process "murky" and wanted transparency.
"We go into a system of design, but we don't know what's happening for the next stage, or the next stage, and then it stops, and then it starts again, and then it can take years, and then over that time, everything doubles. What they want is a clear, transparent process that they can rely on, that they know exactly what's going to happen. That's what we want to move to," she said.
"Half of our problem is that we have a, we call it the hopper, of projects that all go in, they sort of fly around for years. There's no consistency, there's no accountability, and there's no understanding of exactly when your project will happen, and then costs will blow out along the way. So we want to smooth that process through."
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop said the Crown agent would balance flexibility, transparency, and ministerial direction.
"With the establishment of the NZSPA, schools can expect improved project delivery and communication, better value for money, and an increased level of transparency around decision making," he said.
New classrooms for Auckland schools
Alongside the announcement, Stanford confirmed a $120 million investment in classrooms across Auckland, funded through the Budget:
Bucklands Beach Intermediate - 2 classrooms
Helensville School - 1 classroom
Kauri Flats School - 4 classrooms
Lincoln Heights School - 6 classrooms
Macleans College - 8 classrooms
Massey High School - 8 classrooms
Mission Heights Primary School - 6 classrooms
Mountain View School - 6 classrooms
Northcross Intermediate - 8 classrooms
One Tree Hill College - 6 classrooms
Orewa College - 12 classrooms
Panama Road School - 4 classrooms
Papakura Normal School - 10 classrooms (in addition to the two learning support classrooms already announced)
Papatoetoe Central School - 4 classrooms
Papatoetoe East School - 4 classrooms
Papatoetoe Intermediate - 6 classrooms
Papatoetoe South School - 6 classrooms
Puhinui School - 2 classrooms
Pukekohe North School - 4 classrooms
Rangitoto College - 10 classrooms
Te Kura o Pātiki Rosebank School - 4 classrooms
Takanini School - 4 classrooms
Tuakau College - 6 classrooms
Whenuapai School - 6 classrooms
Stanford said all projects were expected to begin construction in the next 12 months.
Plans for a new school
In addition, the government had purchased a site in Pōkeno for a new primary school, and would establish a junior college on the site of Chapel Downs Primary School.
Stanford said the money came from driving down the costs of new builds, by using offsite builds and repeatable designs.
It meant the cost of a new classroom was $620,000 on average, compared to $1.2m at the end of 2023.
"They may not win an architectural award, but that's not what we're trying to achieve here. We're trying to have more of these classrooms across New Zealand. And all of the classrooms I've been in, and the teachers I've spoken to, they love these classrooms," she said.
Earlier this week the minister announced the government was pulling the plug on open plan classrooms, with Stanford saying they were too noisy and distracting for many children.
She also announced a plan to double the economic benefits brought into the country by international students.
From November, eligible student-visa holders will be able to work more hours a week, from 20 to 25 hours, and work rights will be extended to all tertiary students in approved exchange programmes.
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