Flaxmere College's new hall block looks shiny next to the recently upgraded administration building. Photo / Warren Buckland
Flaxmere College's new hall block looks shiny next to the recently upgraded administration building. Photo / Warren Buckland
Flaxmere College has been waiting for years for its multimillion-dollar rebuild to take shape.
After waiting patiently for the past 14 months, Flaxmere College students are in for an exciting week, finally getting into their new state-of-the-art buildings.
The school administration has been awaiting the new buildings since funding was announced in 2016 by the then Minister of Education Hekia Parata.
On Monday, all students from Year 7 to 13 moved into Block A, named Te Awa o te Atua, the original name for Flaxmere.
Looking from one end of the building to the other it looks like a flowing awa, adding to the meaning behind the name.
Flaxmere College's new 123m long Te Awa o te Atua classroom building. Photo / Warren Buckland
The school is taking open plan learning and collaborative teaching to a new level with their new building, moving away from the traditional teaching style of enclosed classrooms.
Flaxmere College principal Jim Hay-Mackenzie explained the new learning space shows the school's collaborative teaching style, while helping to build on its community and whānau focused education.
Measuring exactly 123m in length, the Te Awa o te Atua building is longer than a rugby field and holds 17 of the school's 22 teaching spaces, and 250 students.
One end is dedicated to the technology classes and workshops, with the opposite end home to the school's new science labs.
Flaxmere College teacher Rachel Toheriri helped get the open learning space set up for students' arrival. Photo / Warren Buckland
The middle of the building has two sizeable dedicated class spaces; one for Year 7 to 8 students, and then through a pair of large double doors the other space is for Year 9 to 13 students.
"The closeness of the classes and year groups encourages the tuakana/teina learning relationships between older and younger students," Hay-Mackenzie said.
Jim Hay-Mackenzie, Flaxmere College principal, standing in the school's new open learning building. Photo / Warren Buckland
While the Te Awa o te Atua building may be the longest, it isn't the only new building on the block.
The Flaxmere College hall has had a makeover.
Keeping the bones of the building, it has been updated, extended and given the name Raupare.
Raupare was the traditional garden of Flaxmere that fed the masses. Connected to the hall are the new hospitality facility and music department.
Principle Hay-Mackenzie said, "With the idea of being hospitable, having the cooking room and hall as our area to welcome waewae tapu into our Kura, it seems quite fitting and what that space represents."
Food Technology teacher Stephanie Moore organising her brand new cooking room. Photo / Warren Buckland
The new cooking room has been kitted out with new appliances and utensils.
However, nothing too complicated as the goal was to make sure it was similar to what students would have in their own houses so they could take their skills home with them.
Just down the hall from the hospitality room is the school's new music department, complete with its own recording studio and sound booth, ready for the next generation of musicians to record their first albums.
Music teacher aides Talitha Blake and Tukotahi Raki set up Flaxmere College's new recording studio. Photo / Warren Buckland
Much like the Te Awa o te Atua building, everything is contained within the Raupare building, with practice rooms to the sides and access to the hall for performance on stage.
While the students are enjoying their first week using the new facilities, the teachers are just as excited.
By the end of the year current construction on the school gymnasium will be completed, with a gym and classroom set up so physical and theory PE classes no longer have to be held on opposite sides of the school.
With all going to plan, the demolition and removal of the old classrooms and extensive landscaping where they once stood will complete the school's rebuild.
Once settled in, there will be an opportunity for the whole community to visit and celebrate its new kura.
