• Flaxmere College to undergo multi-million dollar rebuild

Flaxmere College to undergo multi-million dollar rebuild

Flaxmere College will undergo a multi-million dollar rebuild that will transform the school into an innovative learning environment with a design representing whānau-focussed, community-style education.

The rebuild, approved by the Ministry of Education, gets underway with a ground-breaking ceremony at the Henderson Rd site in Flaxmere at 3.30 pm today (Friday, 6 Nov).

The initial design was done by MOAA Architects of Hamilton, who led the tender process. They have remained on board to work with local construction company, Stead Construction Limited, on the design-build project.

Principal Jim Hay-Mackenzie said the rebuild would set Flaxmere College apart.

“I think this is going to reboot the school. It is about time we had new buildings and a place where our local community really want their children to go to.”

“They will have something they can be proud of and it will be a welcoming space for the students, not only in the classroom but in the environment around them. We will be able to access our community. This is an exciting time to join our whānau and is a great opportunity for our school.”

Overseeing the project is Shelley Arnold, Flaxmere College’s Deputy Principal responsible for property, who has been involved since the beginning. She says that leaky building issues and structural requirements after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake meant that the decision was made to rebuild the school rather than focus on individual buildings.

After several delays, the project was given the go-ahead and construction will begin before Christmas.

Mrs Arnold says the emphasis has been, within reason, on an open plan layout.

“It is an innovative learning environment, so most of our classrooms are in one building, although we have done our best in the design to separate out spaces with strategic placement of break out rooms and desks.

“So, we’ve got lots of little pods and different rooms within the larger building. The technology block down is down one end housing all of the traditional technology subjects, with the addition of a specialist carving room.”

One of the key aims of the design was to create a whānau atmosphere.

“What we have done strategically is to put the buildings in a specific place to wrap them around our children while they’re at school. This will give us one entrance to the school, so that once they walk past our new administration block, they are in school,” Mrs Arnold says.

Along with the new classrooms and administration block, the school hall and gymnasium will also be refurbished. In the hall, the Music Learning Area will be reimagined, with a new sound booth built.

Another room in the hall will be the Hospitality and Food Technology area, with a separate commercial kitchen for the use of the level 3 hospitality students. As the school is part of the government’s Free and Healthy Lunch programme, this space will also be used as the space to feed students each day. Functions could also be held there.

The gym will get a major facelift with the entrance to the building moving inside the school grounds. The caretaker shed attached to the gym will become a senior students break-out room, while space is also being made for an extra classroom in the foyer.

The administration block will move to the current school car park. The old administration block will become Kōwhai Special School.

Stage one of the developments, the rebuild of Block A (the main teaching block), Block B, the refurbishment of the hall and Block C (the new administration building) will begin on 10 December, with the official handover scheduled for December 2021. The gym and Kowhai refurbishment will be completed in 2022.

Mrs Arnold says disruption to school life has been kept to a minimum with the new design allowing for classes and daily activities to continue safely.

Mr Hay-Mackenzie paid tribute to Mrs Arnold for her hard work over the years to make the rebuild a reality and also acknowledged the role his predecessor Louise Anaru played in the process as well.

Flaxmere College Board of Trustees chairperson Taime Pareanga Samuel, QSM, said the rebuild was much needed and would lift the school community to new heights.

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