Waitara High School is set to receive two new classrooms as part of a $32.8 million Government property investment aimed at easing roll growth pressures at schools across the country.
It is the only local school included in the latest round of funding, which will deliver a total of 34 new classrooms and one gym across a total of 10 schools in Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki, and Canterbury.
Education Minister Erica Stanford announced the funding, saying the cash injection was made possible through savings found within the school property portfolio.
In a Beehive press release, Stanford said more efficient planning, prioritisation, and delivery since July 2024 had generated over $330 million in savings, which are now being reinvested back into school property.
"Every dollar we save through more efficient delivery is put into the classrooms and facilities schools need," Stanford said.
Construction on the new standard-design classrooms is expected to begin within the next 12 months.
While Waitara gains two new learning spaces, the bulk of the $32.8 million investment is allocated north.
Auckland schools such as Botany Downs Secondary College and Massey High School will receive eight and ten new classrooms respectively.
Chapel Downs School in Flat Bush will also receive a new gym, expected to be completed by the middle of 2028.
This latest development follows a recent move by the government to allocate $31 million to modify 90 open-plan classrooms across New Zealand by installing internal walls to create traditional teaching spaces.
Those schools include three in Taranaki; Lepperton School, Frankley School and Vogeltown School.
Open-plan classrooms, also known as modern learning environments, are large shared spaces designed for multiple teachers and classes to work together.
Stanford argued that reinstalling walls creates calmer and less disruptive environments for students.
She said the Government had received strong demand from schools wanting to return to more traditional styles with dedicated, walled spaces, with 200 schools submitting expressions of interest for the modification.
