Four new schools, over 400 school buildings through stimulus package

Education Minister Anne Tolley says school property has received a massive boost as a result of the Government’s economic stimulus programme.

“Four new schools opened at the start of this year, while 400 new school buildings have resulted from the fast-tracking of publicly-funded projects,” says Mrs Tolley.

“Overall, there have been 18 new schools and rebuilds since 2009.”

“Schools throughout the country have benefited from the stimulus programme, which has created an additional 2000 jobs,” says Mrs Tolley.

“270 new classrooms and gyms have been built, along with 139 non-teaching spaces such as halls, libraries and administration blocks since the start of 2009. And more than 500 major building modernisation projects have also been completed.

“This investment has directly benefited schools and students, who deserve modern and effective teaching environments.

“It has also kept construction firms going at a time when other parts of the market have slowed down.

“Total capital expenditure on school property was $628 million last year.

“In the coming year we expect our investment to rise to $741 million, compared to an average capital expenditure of $530 million between 2002/03 and 2008/09.

“So we are now spending over $200 million a year more on school property than the previous Government. This shows our commitment to education and to investing in this country’s infrastructure.”

The new schools opening this year are Papamoa College and Golden Sands Primary in the Bay of Plenty, and Ormiston Senior College and Stonefields Primary in Auckland.