The Christchurch schools rebuild programme was originally supposed to have finished in 2020. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Christchurch schools rebuild programme was originally supposed to have finished in 2020. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Christchurch school rebuild programme is three years from completion, with 15 schools still pending.
The programme’s total funding is $1.654 billion, with 100 schools completed, benefiting more than 50,000 students.
Education Minister Erica Stanford aims to complete all projects by 2028, despite rising construction costs.
The Christchurch schools rebuild programme is still three years away from completion, with 15 schools waiting for projects to be finished five years after the original deadline.
In 2013, the Government announced that 115 schools in the greater Christchurch area which were damaged in the devastatingCanterbury earthquake sequence of 2010 and 2011 would be refurbished or rebuilt.
The Ministry of Education has confirmed to the Herald that 100 schools have had projects completed, benefiting more than 50,000 students.
But programme manager Sharon Wong said a further 11 schools are under construction, three are in planning phases (Chisnallwood Intermediate; Christchurch Girls’ High School; and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o te Whānau Tahi), while Ko Taku Reo (previously Van Asch Deaf Education Centre) is yet to enter the programme.
The 11 schools still under construction are: Burnside High School; Elmwood Normal School; Fendalton Open Air School; Ferndale Te Ahu (Christchurch); Ilam School; Kirkwood Intermediate; Papanui High School; Riccarton High School; Russley School; Shirley Intermediate; and Te Puna Wai o Waipapa – Hagley College.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said the service delivery arrangements for Ko Taku Reo are currently under national review.
“This review has delayed the school’s inclusion in the Christchurch Schools Rebuild programme and, as a result, I have been advised that it does not yet have a confirmed start or completion date,” she said.
Work to repair the main block at Christchurch Girls' High School should have been finished by 2020 but was put on hold in 2019.
The Ministry of Education spent five years trying to strengthen Christchurch Girls' High School's main block, before deciding to rebuild it. Photo / Kurt Bayer
A new performing arts and admin building opened in 2018.
Construction of the school’s main block is set to begin this year, after originally being scheduled for 2022.
Principal Helen Armstrong is confident there will be no more delays, and the work will be finished by 2028.
“Both parties are committed to moving the programme forward. We’ve signed off the master plan, and we’re now working alongside the architects,” she told the Herald.
Board chairman Andrew Delaney believes it too will be finished by 2028.
He said there have been ongoing conversations with the ministry.
“While frustrating, [they’ve] have been slowly gaining traction which we see as a positive step towards getting this project over the finish line.”
Spreydon’s Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Te Whānau Tahi is the third school in a planning phase.
Stanford says another eight school projects will be completed by the end of this year – taking the total to 108.
“Despite the challenges posed by rising construction costs and the scale of the programme, I am pleased that the ministry remains on track to complete all projects currently in the programme by 2028,” she said.
Stanford said she has instructed the ministry to maintain close oversight of project timelines and budgets, use a staged approach to manage costs when necessary and regularly review and adjust plans to keep projects on track.
Jaime Cunningham is a Christchurch-based reporter with a focus on education, social issues and general news. Jaime joined Newstalk ZB in 2023, after working as a sports reporter at the Christchurch Star.
