Auckland will get a new primary school and there will be new classrooms for several kura in the Kaupapa Māori Education network, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.
The new 600-student primary school in Massey will include two satellite learning support spaces for Arohanui School.
Erica Stanford at the site of the new school in Massey on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel
Speaking in Auckland on Tuesday, Stanford said $100 million in new spending had been freed up and was being directed into communities that needed it the most.
"Through our decisive action to improve efficiency and performance in school property delivery, $100 million has been freed up for areas across the country that have growing school rolls. With a 35 percent increase in the number of standardised and repeatable designs, we have reduced the price per classroom by 28 percent.
"We can now provide an additional 67 teaching spaces in Auckland and in the Kaupapa Māori Education network to help meet growing demand."
Erica Stanford at the wheel of some heavy machinery on the site of the new school she has announced for Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel
Other plans for Auckland include:
- an 18-classroom expansion for Ormiston Senior College, which includes associated administration spaces and a staff room extension
- a two-storey block of ten new classrooms at Scott Point Primary School.
Improvements for the Kaupapa Māori Education network
- Two new classrooms at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu in Rotorua
- Four new senior school classrooms and a permanent site for Te Kura Kaupapa o Hawaiki Hou in Gisborne
- Three new classrooms at Manutuke School in Gisborne
- Two new classrooms at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Whakarewa I Te Reo Ki Tuwharetoa in Taupō
"For Te Kura Kaupapa o Hawaiki Hou, this means moving from and unsuitable learning environment they have leased for seven years," Stanford said.
Planning was underway with the aim of delivering the projects "as quickly and efficiently as possible so that students, teachers and communities benefit sooner", she said.
The improvements being announced were possible becuase the government had adopted standard designs and offsite manufacturing.
"This government is focused on raising student achievement and closing the equity gap and to do that our children need warm, safe and dry classrooms. Our drive for efficiency and good value for money is delivering more of these classrooms across New Zealand."
South Island plans, kura kaupapa funds to be ring-fenced
Answering questions from the media, Stanford said under the previous government $1.2 million had been spent per new classroom so there was "now a deficit we're trying to catch up on" for the nation's schools.
Investment was planned to help more schools, including in the South Island, however, there would be another announcement shortly.
Kura kaupapa had been experiencing sub-par schools for many years, the minister said.
"It's really been a pretty awful situation for them."
They would be involved in more planning and funds would be ring-fenced so the network could be expanded.
Tuesday's announcment comes after RNZ revealed universities were attributing the poor job market as the reason for more domestic enrolments in teaching courses.
Hundreds more local students were enrolled in teaching compared with this time last year, and international enrolments were also up.
The Ministry of Education had forecast significant teacher shortages for both primary and secondary schools this year, and further shortages next year.
'Runs on the board'
The body overseeing kura kaupapa welcomed the new classrooms at four of its kura, but said it was nowhere near the level of investment required across the sector.
Te Rūnanga Nui o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa co-chairperson Rawiri Wright told Midday Report they were happy for those that got selected, but kura kaupapa had suffered "terrible" treatment over the years, compared with mainstream schooling.
"Obviously we're happy, but the reality is that there are still over 30 others still waiting - some for a single classroom, others for an entire school - and they've been waiting for 10, 12, 14, 15 years. In the case of my kura, we've only been waiting 30 years."
The lucky recipients were "the easy-fix" kura, Wright said.
"We're happy to get runs on the board, okay? We're not moaning about that part of it, but it's just the overall thing.
"Our Waitangi Tribunal claim [result] said that the Ministry of Education needs to implement kura kaupapa Māori-specific policies to guide property decisions. Between 2019 and 2024, just under $200 million was spent on all kura kaupapa Māori properties combined - that's 69. And in contrast, $200 million has been spent on just two Pākehā schools, two mainstream schools."
The ministry's property guidelines did not cater for kura kaupapa Māori education, he said, "and the ministry acknowledges that".
"But it's continuing to use those guidelines… if you put it more simply, there's a $1.4 billion annual property budget and less than 3 percent of that goes towards kura kaupapa Māori. That's terrible.
"But the Waitangi Tribunal and the ministerial inquiry acknowledged the lack of fit-for-purpose property provisions for kura kaupapa Maori, and still only three of our 30 kura who are in dire need make the list.
"So fantastic for those three kura, but we await."
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