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The Christchurch schools rebuilding project will be completed as scheduled, despite long delays, says the Education Minister.
Chris Hipkins said the $ 1.3 billion project to rebuild or redevelop 115 schools damaged by the earthquake will meet its 10-year goal, though there could be “a bit of movement on the margins.”
At least 18 school developments that should have been completed by now have yet to start, but the minister says that overall the project is “on the right track.”
Among the retarded is Redwood Elementary School, which should have been renovated three years ago.
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Work has yet to begin and principal John Stackhouse said they were unable to access maintenance money while they awaited repairs, leaving the school with rotting walls and broken heat pumps.
Hipkins said schools could work with the Ministry of Education to rectify problems, “particularly when they create a risk to health and safety.”
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Redwood School principal John Stackhouse says the remodeling delays mean they can’t access maintenance money, causing walls to rot and heat pumps to break down.
When asked if he felt the rebuilding process was being managed effectively, Hipkins said, “We have always been looking at how we can improve.”
“If you go back to the first day, could there be things that could have been done better? Yes, there are, but we have been improving as we progress ”.
Stackhouse said that the construction of iconic schools, such as Redcliffs, Waitakiri and Marshland, “sucked all the funds” from the budget, delaying the redevelopment of other schools.
CHRIS SKELTON / Things
Chris Hipkins and Duncan Webb met with students from Ladbrooks School in Halswell, Christchurch, on Friday.
When asked if that was the case, Hipkins said: “It’s one of the reasons we’ve increased the overall budget, because we know there has been an escalation in costs.”
“A school that enters the rebuilding program now will have a higher bill than a school that was seven years ago, because costs have increased at that time.”
Hipkins was in Christchurch on Friday to present the latest round of the Sustainability Contestable Fund.
Christchurch Central Minister and MP Duncan Webb visited Ladbrooks School, which installed a new LED lighting system, new low-flow faucets and a new heat pump system, as part of the green initiative.
CHRIS SKELTON / Things
Webb and Hipkins tour Ladbrooks School’s new teaching space, which is under construction.
The students gave them a tour and showed them the school’s new open-plan teaching space, which is under construction and will open in time for the new term in January.
Earlier in the day, Hipkins revealed more details about the new $ 20 million elementary school in Rolleston, on the outskirts of Christchurch.
The cash is part of a $ 32 million package for South Island schools, which will include the development of two new classrooms at St Albans School and West Rolleston Primary School, four at Lemonwood Grove School in Rolleston and eight at Cashmere High School.
