$27 million of new Queenstown and Central Otago education funding

From Education Minister Erica Stanford.

A $27 million investment into new infrastructure will help make sure schools meet the needs of their communities and gets ahead of new growth.

It will support the construction of:

• Six new teaching spaces at Dunstan High School
• A twelve-teaching space expansion at Te Kura Whakatipu o Kawarau

The investment is in addition to the purchase of a site at Ladies Mile in Queenstown last year, which will accommodate a new primary school in the area.

“Queenstown in particular, has had strong and steady growth over the last decade, and we are committed to ensuring they are equipped to teach the basics brilliantly. Planning for the two growth projects is underway and is expected to begin in the next 12 months. This means that students, families and the Otago community can benefit sooner,” Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

“Funding for the construction of the new primary school at Ladies Mile will be considered in future years. Securing the land at this time means that we will be able to hit ‘go’ on construction when capacity is needed.”

This announcement builds on the Government’s commitment to ongoing investment in school property, and follows recent announcements to support growth in Canterbury, the Central North Island and provision of specialist education.

“Quality education is crucial to growing the regions. These new classrooms are an investment in the future of young learners in Otago Central Lakes and builds on the 120 new classrooms announced for Canterbury in the last month," South Island Minister James Meager says.

"There is huge potential for Otago Central Lakes to become a hub for digital and tech investors, alongside our traditional backbone industries of tourism and agriculture. To enable that investment, we need to foster brilliance in our young people by investing in their future and building for growth. We also need a high-quality education infrastructure to attract the best quality workforce to our regions."

“Our efficiencies in school property delivery allows more schools, communities and children benefit sooner. The use of standardised building designs and offsite manufacturing have lowered the average cost of a classroom by 28%, allowing 30% more classrooms to be delivered last year compared to 2023. We will continue to drive costs down so more Kiwi kids can thrive,” Ms Stanford says.